Laughing All the Way to London
by JacobApples
Summary: Harry is a single father trying to raise his godson, Teddy. Unable to ensure his son's safety in the wizarding world he goes into hiding in the muggle one. But one trip to London will undo all of his precautions. Thrown back to the past, Harry finds himself falling into the arms of a woman who once spared his life. No paradox, Light/Badass Harry. T/M rated. Update late Summer 2020.
1. Gesundheit

Dyslexia: Grammar and spelling mistakes, get over it or move along.

Disclaimer: JKR owns her masterpieces.

Summary: Harry moved in with her to help with Teddy directly after the Battle of Hogwarts. Andromeda could not manage the death of her husband and children, she takes her own life four months later. Harry cannot deal with the sorrow of the wizarding world, he breaks up with Ginny, and retreats from everyone except on holidays, raising his godson in the muggle devoid of the trouble magical realm, what happens when he makes a trip to the bank that brings him back to a time not just of war but a time before he is born? Time Travel. No Bashing. Light but Badass Harry.

Warning: Name changes, but no original characters, just secret identities, like King T'Challa, or Diana Prince, or Carol Danvers. Harry Potter is a superhero name. Challenged by Waka.

Harry is twenty-one, Teddy is three, Nymphadora is three, Remus is fifteen, Narcissa is twenty, Andromeda is twenty-four, Bellatrix is twenty-five, and Regulus is thirteen.

Narcissa/Harry - Narcy

* * *

"There is nothing I wouldn't do anymore!"

 _-Narcissa Malfoy_

* * *

Chapter 1 - Gesundheit

"Come on, baby," Harry begged, reaching for the child that had managed to not just lock himself in the car but was holding the keys.

It wasn't as if Harry Potter needed the car, but to keep up appearances. 'Playing muggle' was harder than it should have been. He had spent more of his life without magic than with it, but then maybe it wasn't pretending to be a muggle that was so hard, maybe it was just being a single dad.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Peverell," Ms. Adams asked from behind.

Harry spun, stepping in front of the toddler in the car. He held his hand behind him and wandlessly accioed his key's through the open window.

Teddy immediately began crying, Harry winced at the sound that put his ever sense on edge. Today had been hard for the poor fella, Mazy -a pretty brunette girl who was a year older than him, had said she hated him because he didn't have a mommy. Harry wasn't completely sold on that logic and suspected strongly that Mazy came from a troubled family -but Teddy had taken it to heart.

Mrs. Adams smiled up at him with a smile so sweet it made his teeth ache, "Oh, Theodore sounds upset. Do you need any help?"

She was always asking him if he needed help, in fact, all the assistant teachers and mothers offered him 'help.'

"No, thanks," he said, just as he always did. Mrs. Adams was -among other things, married, and he wanted _nothing_ from her. "I just need to get him home."

He turned and unlocked his tiny car. He probably shouldn't have boughten the small baby-blue bug, his legs barely fit in the car. But Teddy had been two and had spoken, babbling on and on about the 'lil-bu-bug,' and Harry hadn't been able to say no. Teddy was an extremely quiet child, happy for the most part, and certainly kind spirited, but quiet.

"Henry," Mrs. Adams called.

He turned and glared at her, he was done for the day and Mrs. Adams, the pushy, busty, _married_ woman who was in her early fifties was getting on his nerves. Last month she had corned him in the supply closest and tried to force herself on him. He was nearly six-feet tall and she was just over five foot, it wasn't going to happen, but she had made it very difficult to get away from her and not hurt her.

Harry was one of the supervisors at the daycare Teddy attended, it was a way to both stay with him and let him be around other children, and he had made it clear to everyone, that he be addressed by his surname, although the little kids either called him Rell or even Ell. But it was for the women he wished to get his distance from. He had no interest in dating anyone, let alone any woman who thought they could win him by stalking him.

"What?" he asked shortly.

Her fake smile dropped and she held out an envelope to him, "You're fired," she declared, "Your son has been expelled from the daycare."

"Excuse me?"

"Your misconduct from last month," she went on, "the board seemed to think it was inexcusable."

"My misconduct?" he asked in a low voice.

"Good luck finding another daycare in the country that will take you," she said in her sickeningly sweet voice. "Of course, I could talk to them and explain it wasn-"

He snatched the envelope from her and got in his car. He slammed the door and revved the engine.

Mrs. Adams, in her low pumps and low-cut blouse, stared at him for a moment, the got out of his way as backed out of the spot. He sped down the road, fuming. He opened the stupid envelope and glancing down at it he saw that she hadn't been lying. He discarded it to the passenger seat and looked in his rearview mirror. Teddy was quiet in his car seat. The tears were still fresh on his cheeks as he stared out the window. Harry had used a charm to keep Teddy's hair black and his eyes tawny brown like Ted Tonks' and he believed Nymphadora's had been.

Harry had changed both their names after Andromeda had left them and reporters, stalkers, ill and good wishes kept knocking. Henry B. Peverell and Theodore T. Peverell weren't names anyone in the wizarding world would be looking for in a phone book, muggleborn or no.

Did he feel bad about partially turning his back on his name and basically renaming Teddy as he likely couldn't even remember being called Lupin? Sure, but peace and safety were more important to Harry than carrying on dead people's legacies.

"You want to go to Gringotts?" Harry asked Teddy.

Teddy's head whipped around, and asked hopefully, "Where?"

"Gringotts," he replied with a smile. Harry would just have to homeschool him, Fleur had kids about Teddy's age now. They would make something work to keep Teddy away from his godfather's fame and Teddy from falling into a greater quiet.

"Dragons!" Teddy cheered loudly.

"No dragons anymore," Harry sang.

The three-year-old laughed into his hands. When he could speak again he asked his godfather for the story again, again, and again.

And Harry, obligingly, told the story over and over again -an edited version of the story that left out the Unforgivables and descriptions of Death Eaters.

Teddy laughed all the way to London.

* * *

"You have been using the name Peverell," the goblin at the desk said roughly, glaring down at Harry.

Harry glared right back, "Is there a problem? He was one of my ancestors."

The goblin didn't so much as blink at him. "Follow me, Mr. _Peverell_ ," he sneered.

Harry hadn't made a trip to his vaults in nearly a year, he did not know who had told the goblin he was using a different name, but if it got out to the public, someone was going to be hurting. He would make sure of it.

As they loaded into the cart, the goblin asked, "Is Theodore Tonks Peverell your heir?"

Harry thought it might be a trick question, but he said, "Yes."

"Very well, Mr. Henry Black Peverell. Very well." The goblin said nothing else on their long, _long_ way down.

"We just passed-" but Harry stopped speaking, the goblin looked determined. He pulled his Holy Wand, pulling Teddy closer and behind his legs.

Down and down they went, the light fading, the stone around them becoming rougher, water dripped, and somewhere in the darkness, Harry heard an underground river roaring. The temperature was dropping rapidly as well, and he cast a warming charm on Teddy.

They arrived with a clank of metal and the goblin led them to the largest vault door Harry had ever seen.

"Put your hands here," the goblin instructed, indicated a raised disk, "both of you."

Harry put his hand down on the disk, nothing happened, he then picked up Teddy who put his small hand beside his godfather's.

Sharp lanced his hand and Teddy screamed, darkness and folded around them. When they pulled back in the dark, the lights of torch fire sprang up in a circle around them. Teddy and Harry looked at their hands that no longer hurt and there was no mark, not so much as a red line. The room was growing brighter and a chandelier above them came to life. They metal looked aged and shambled as if it had once held direction. Now it was just a metal skeleton with floating lights.

There were inside the vault.

Around them were mountains of sparkling sand -or was it powder. Harry did not put Teddy down for an instant, he didn't even consider it. He had been in the wizarding world too long to trust a powder substance that looked snow, if snow could be made out of crushed gemstones.

On the floor, there was a stray piece of parchment. Harry accioed it to his hand, a stream of the sparkling powder came with it.

The note read simply:

 _Dearest Descendants,_

 _If you have been brought to this vault, you and your heir, the non-humans of our world have decided they would like to see some change. Around you sits a denotation from my friends, friends so magical their dust has the power to undo the laws of time as well as those of reality. I am afraid there will be no way back, but I hope that will be more a blessing than a burdon._

 _Do better than those who came before you._

Signed by: _Ignotus Peverell_

Harry glared at the piece of paper, his Potter-Luck was raising the hairs on the back of his neck.

He needed to get them out of there.

Teddy sneezed.

The world seemed to catch its breath, and then they were surrounded by a cyclone of dust and light. He threw up a shield but the dust was unhindered. For a moment Harry feared the dust had caught fire, but then the light grew white hot like burning mechanism. And he had to close his eyes. He crouched on the ground, curling as much of himself around Teddy as he could. Teddy clung to him like a koala bear.

Then everything stopped, and then they opened their eyes to an empty chamber. The chandelier above them was the only source of light with an assortment of crystals twinkling merrily and casting shadows against the stone walls. The note on the ground was still there, the slightly less aged.

The mountains of dust were gone, not a single sparkle left.

Harry and Teddy looked at each other, and then Harry said -with the air of a man who has just been told that the inmates have taken over the asylum, "Gesundheit."

* * *

AN: If you want more I suggest you review. Please?


	2. Going to Be Okay

AN: As for the people calling me crazy, I agree with you, and I assure you it is hardly a tenth of what mind goes through in grad school, work, friends, family, art, and various other things :D

Chapter 2 - Going to Be Okay

The door opened of its own accord and on the other side waited a small group of grim faced -well, grimmer even than what was normal.

"Welcome, Lord Peverell," one said in a gravelly down.

Harry made a harsh sound in his throat and held Teddy a little closer to him, his Holly Wand ready at his side. "I am no lord. The 'lord' system has been out of the wizarding world for a long time."

"Not as long as you might think," another said, holding out a paper to him, which he didn't have a free hand to take.

Harry looked at the paper, disappearances, ministry scrambling to unearth, yada, yada, yada…

He read the date. _Merlin._ "You brought us back to the seventies?" he asked, outraged. He hadn't even been born yet. His parents were still in school, Nymphadora was probably Teddy's age.

Only two years working a child's daycare and three years as a father kept him from cussing aloud.

"How do we get back to our rightful time?"

"You don't," the first goblin declared.

Harry pointed his wand at the foul thing, "You want to bet?"

"The dust is gone, you can't go back."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Harry asked, "To get back at me for the dragon thing?"

"I assure you, Sir, this is no joke. Your names are Henry Black Peverell and Theodore Lupin Peverell. You were briefly married to a witch by the name of Naomi Lupin who, I can assure you, did exist. You had what some might call a 'shotgun marriage' with her at a town hall where you simply signed paperwork. She was the estranged sister of Lyall Lupin, and was murdered by the same dark lord who murdered your parents, whose names you do not know because they died when you were young. You were taken in by muggle foster parents and learned magic from books that you inherited from Gringotts once you turned eleven. You did not attend Hogwarts because your muggle family forbade you from attending. You have come to London looking for a new job because someone unknown has burned down your house and all your belongings, leaving you to no longer feel safe. You, and anyone who thinks to investigate, will find documentation that supports this story."

"How-" Harry began.

"Much is possible when the centaurs are on your side."

One of the goblins held out a small bag of coins.

Harry glared at them, "What? You pull me back in time to change fate and all you can give me is a small bag of gold?"

"Give?" the goblin asked, sounding scandalized at the very notion, "No, this is a loan."

"I can't take care of a child with that for long," Harry said, knowing from just the size of the bag, there couldn't be more than ten to fifteen galleons, assuming it was galleons and not knutts.

"Then I suggest you get a job. Best of luck, Lord Peverell," the goblin said. Now, get out, the bank is closed and your vault is empty." A house-elf appeared from nowhere and snapped its fingers at them.

Harry and Teddy were popped into Diagon Alley, and Harry had to bite his tongue to keep from swearing. Teddy began crying into his shirt. The little sack of money settling in Harry's pocket.

Harry's mind was reeling. He had nowhere to go and staying at an inn would add up in no time. Where could he get a job?

He tried thinking from the top, it was just after sundown and the air felt warm, August in 1975. He took deep breaths and began rubbing Teddy's back.

"It's going to be alright, my little man," he whispered, "it is going to be alright."

 _It was going to be alright,_ he would make sure of it. The headlines on the newspaper made it seem like the first of Voldemort's wars had yet to begin.

Which was certainly a good thing, though Harry wasn't looking forward to a Horcrux hunt. Maybe he should move to America? Disney was an American thing, and Teddy _loved_ Disney.

But Harry couldn't abandon his country, all that he had ever endured would be for nothing. All that Teddy had endured would be for nothing. Harry would be putting him at risk by staying, but there had been several attempts in their lives in their own time. At least here, no one knew who they were.

Indeed, even though Harry looked like a Potter, he was no longer the carbon copy of his father. He had grown his hair out to his shoulders, making it far more manageable -strangely, more curls now than birdnest. He wore it in a low ponytail most days, and he had replaced his round spectacles with a pair of golden rimmed rectangular ones. From the pictures he had, his face looked more like his grandfather's than his father's now.

Which as the Peverells were related to Potters wasn't a bad thing.

Harry undid the charms he placed on Teddy, his hair immediately revealing itself to be a shocking color of green with red lowlights.

In this time, it was better to be magical.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, did they here a loud bang. Harry should have ran in the opposite direction, but that just wasn't his style.

He turned to find a woman in an alley fighting off three men. Her wand work was deadly, but the three goons were fighting like a well-oiled machine, a tested unit. When one fired the other shielded.

Harry considered them goons because the morons weren't watching their back.

Teddy had seen a lot in his young life, even run through practice drills, he knew to be still and quiet in case of an emergency and to stay put when Daddy told to stay put. It was likely having an adverse effect on him, but their 'drills' had saved both their lives before.

As the old adage goes; _you're not paranoid if there really are people out to get you._

Harry was able to sneak up on them and have all three of them stunned before any of them knew he was there. He stepped closer to the woman catching her wrist while still holding his wand to keep her from bringing her curse down on him. He looked down into her face and smiled; _Andromeda_.

It was so good to see her alive and unbroken. Her brown eyes simmered with intelligence and focus, a focus she had lost by the time Harry moved in with her.

But then he realized that her hair was too straight and a darker shade than Andromeda's chestnut, that her eyes were a bit too large on her face.

This wasn't Teddy's grandmother. No, this was _Bellatrix Lestrange._

He released her at once, and hurriedly began to make his way to the inn. One night of rest to get his bearings and then he would go job hunting in the morning.

"Wait!" she called.

He didn't wait.

"Wait." She caught up to him easily, "Can't I know the name of my rescuer?"

"You look like a witch who can take care of herself, I only meant to spare you the trouble."

Nobody needed to save Bellatrix, people needed to be saved _from_ Bellatrix. But Harry couldn't dispose of her in cold blood, not when she looked so much like Andromeda.

There are some things one can never unsee.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shock at his response.

"At least give me your name?" she cajoled him.

"Henry Peverell," he answered, and managed to keep from sighing.

"Like Ignotus?" she asked, sounding startled.

"So I've read."

"Well, I'm Bellatrix Black."

 _So not married to Lestrange yet._ She seemed saner than Harry remembered her.

Teddy peaked at the woman timidly.

"And who is the child?" she asked, not taking his hints to leave them alone.

"My son, Theodore Peverell."

"Hi," Teddy said waving at her, his hair turning bubble gum pink when Bellatrix waved back and smiled at him.

"Hello, little one," she greeted with more warmth than Harry would have imagined possible. "Would you like to have dinner with me and my family?"

Harry stiffened.

"I'm sure your father wou-"

"We have to find a place to stay for the night," Harry interrupted.

She stepped in front of him, he jerked to stop on the cobblestones. All the shops were closed for the night and he didn't like being alone with her, not at all.

"I must insist," she said, hands on her hips, "you helped me, the least I can do is feed you. Besides, I know my uncle would be pleased to meet the Peverells."

Harry opened his mouth to protest but she spoke before he could get a word in edgewise, "It would be rude to turn down an invitation from the Black Family." she offered her hand to him, "You said yourself, you were looking for a place to stay."

Harry would have turned down the offer, he was used to dealing with pushy women, but it was Teddy who took hold of Bellatrix's hand.

At once, they were pulled into a side along apparition.

Harry found himself, hugging Teddy in a tight grip, using his body to shield him away from Bellatrix. He was a little late. Looking over his yellow-haired head at what to be Grimmauld Place -though it was cleaner and slightly less creepy than he remembered.

Harry's pulse was in his throat. A man with dark hair and a grim expression stood in the greeting room, he looked vaguely like Sirius. Bellatrix addressed him as, "Father, I hav-"

"Who is this?" the man demanded.

"Mr. Henry Peverell and his son Theodore. I insisted they co-"

"Why?" Cygnus Black asked.

"He saved m-"

"You should not have been out at night on your own."

"Father, please," she said, almost as if she were begging.

He sighed and met Harry's gaze, "You are here now, we cannot turn you away. Come, dinner as already begun to be served."

The dining room was far grander than Harry remembered it but just as dimly lit, perhaps more so. At the head of the table sat who Harry recognized as Pollux Black, beside him Orion, Sirius' father, and then Walburga, followed by Regulus, and -Sirius.

Sirius who looked young, healthy, and as depressed as Harry had ever seen him, he didn't so much as look up at their entrance.

On the other side of the table sat Cygnus' wife Druella Black who Bellatrix took her seat next to.

"Who is this?" Pollux said with such a highbrow draw it hurt to listen to. There was British and then there was insufferable. It was a sliding scale that in three syllables the head of the Black family had managed to find the extremest end to.

"Henry Peverell," Cygnus introduced contemptuously, "And his son."

Sirius had jerked to attention at that name, his eyes shimmering with curiosity, "Like Ignotus Peverell, from the story?"

Harry nodded and sat beside Sirius at Pollux's slight hand motion to take a seat. Harry kept Teddy very firmly on his lap, his wand ready to draw from his wrist sheath, this would be a bit like eating dinner with sharks.

No, they didn't really _want_ to eat him, but they might, just for the hell of it. Just to see what he tasted like.

"Who's this?" Sirius asked leaning to the side to catch Teddy's gaze.

Harry was relieved that it was his son who answered, "Teddy."

Sirius grinned, "I'm Sirius, but you can call me Padfoot."

Teddy giggled, putting his hands to his lips. He looked up at Harry with Sirius' blue-grey eyes.

He knew exactly who or rather what Padfoot was, as well as Moony and Prongs. Teddy had to be the smartest three year old, because he didn't declare to the room that Sirius could change into a dog.

Harry wasn't sure what would have happened then because the last of the dinner guests breezed in, and she took his breath away.

Narcissa Malfoy had been a lovely lady, but Narcissa Black was a knockout. Curly blonde hair that framed her high cheekbones and startlingly red lips. Her eyes were pale blue gemstones, that flicked to each occupant of the room, judging the world for all its shortcomings.

"This is my sister," Bellatrix introduced, "Narcissa Black. Cissy, this Henry Peverell and his son Theodore."

She nodded at him before taking a seat across from him, she looked to be about Harry's age.

"What are your parents' names?" Pollux asked.

"I don't know," Harry answered with a twisted sort of honesty, "I was raised by a foster family."

"Did they die?" he asked bluntly.

"They were murdered," Harry said, wishing he wasn't here, that Teddy wasn't here, "by a dark wizard."

The air of the room changed and Teddy wrapped Harry's arm more firmly around his small personage. Sirius and Bellatrix looked interested, Narcissa looked bored, Regulus looked fearful, and the other adults looked ...disinclined to give a flying-monkey-feather.

"What is your middle name?" Pollux asked.

"Black," Harry said shortly.

Again the air in the room shifted and the parents in the room -aside from Harry, relaxed.

Sirius looked a bit disappointed while his brothers and cousins looked more interested.

"What brings you into London, Mr. Peverell?" Orion Black civility than Harry would have expected from him. "I am Orion Black, by the way. This is my father, Pollux, my younger brother Cygnus, his wife, and daughters. This is my wife and our sons."

Harry found it interesting that he didn't name either the women or the children, as if they didn't matter, as if they weren't fully human, just ornamentation.

"I've come to find work."

"Did you lose a job recently?" Walburga asked with a suppressed sneer that she was not doing a decent job at restraining.

Deciding to trust the goblins, Harry said, "My house was burnt done. I no longer feel that it is safe in the country." And he didn't just mean in rural Britain.

"Do you have anything in mind?" Orion asked politely.

Seeing Sirius had given him an idea.

"I was hoping Hogwarts might still be looking for a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

This got everyone's attention, and it was Narcissa who asked, "And you think you are qualified to teach Defense?" There was something in the way she said that, a challenge of sorts.

His lips curled and he knew he looked arrogant, but then there weren't many people who had lived through all that he had. "Extremely qualified."

"But you didn't attend Hogwarts," Druella cut in, "Surely, my daughters would have remarked on you being in their classes. You are what, twenty-five, twenty-six?"

"Twenty-one," Harry said dryly, "And no, I didn't graduate from Hogwarts, my foster parents were muggles who refused to allow me to attend." Which wasn't technology a lie.

Teddy didn't contradict him, he was a bit preoccupied trying to get spaghetti to stay on his fork.

"Muggles," Walburga said with great malice, "muggles such as those should be burned at the stake."

Harry shrugged, "I would rather see the wizard who murdered my parents and my wife burn. But we can't all get what we want."

Teddy looked up at him. He knew his mother had died in the war, died fighting. But he didn't know _who_ had been the one to kill her. It was a cruel game that the Lupin's true murderer sat across the table from them.

"And who might that have been?" Pollux asked.

Harry probably should have kept his mouth shut, he was in the snake's pit after all, but the bit of sanity in Bellatrix's eyes drove him to speak. How much of the past could he change? What impact would his words have on people?

"Voldemort."

Bellatrix choked on her wine, coughing violently. The elder Blacks exchanged looks and Sirius asked, "What kind of stupid name is Voldemort?"

Harry smiled, and Teddy asked, "Are you okay, Bellati?"

Bellatrix waved a hand at him, holding cloth napkin her mouth and breathing deeply, "I'm fine," she croaked.

"He made it up from his birth name, Tom Marvolo Riddle. It is an anagram for 'I am Lord Voldemort.' He spouts nonsense about pureblood superiority, but really he's just trying to bully the country into submission. Tom Riddle Jr. is half blood and a hack."

The room went silent and Sirius looked up at him with adoring eyes.

The other Blacks seemed unable to tell if he thought pureblood superiority was nonsense or whether he meant that this Voldemort was full of nonsense. Walburga's next question illustrated that quite nicely. "And your wife? What was her name?"

"Nyma Lupin," Teddy said proudly.

"Naomi Lupin," Harry said gently, hating that he was correcting Teddy with a lie, hating more that Teddy accepted it at the truth without protest.

They were going to have to have quite the discussion when he got to be a few years older.

"Lupin?" Sirius asked, "No way! One of my best mates is a Lupin, Remus Lupin. You wouldn't happen to be related, would you?"

Harry nodded, "Naomi was Lyall's sister, I believe Remus would be my nephew. She did mention him, though we have never met."

"I would think not," Sirius grinned, "Remus would have mentioned if his uncle was a Peverell."

"You are awfully young to be a widower," Narcissa remarked.

Harry met her strange crystalline gaze. "She left us too soon," he said honestly.

For a moment he thought he saw something warm in her gaze, or not warm exactly, more like the grey became more blue, more alive. "I am sorry for your loss." Her words were as cold and distant as anything he had ever heard her say and yet…

And yet, Harry was reminded of the woman who had spared his life for the mere knowledge of her son's safety.

He was a father now, he knew now better than he had known then what had driven her.

He nodded toward her, and the rest of dinner progressed in an oppressive silence. No wonder Sirius had run away. Surely, this wasn't what all their meals were like?

But everyone acted as if it was normal and no one made to break the silence as they ate. Even Teddy seemed happy in the quiet, his hair changing color between pasta blonde and sauce red depending on what made it onto his fork with each bite.

Sirius seemed utterly delighted by this and kept snickering under his breath.

When they had cleared their plates, Harry and Teddy were shown to a guest room as it would be 'indecent to allow them to leave for an inn' for the night.

Sirius and Regulus led them up the steps, as the guest room was on their floor. Regulus was almost as quiet as Teddy. But when Teddy asked him what his name was, Regulus said, "I'm Reggie," rather than his given name.

"Do you really think you will get hired at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked.

"If Mr. Dumbledore is hiring then yes. Charms and DADA are my best subjects."

"And Magic Creatures," Teddy added.

"He likes Newt Scamander," Harry explained.

"So do I," Regulus said, turning to smile at Teddy who Harry was holding in his arms on a lower step.

Teddy smiled back, his hair turning black his eyes mirroring Regulus' deep brown.

"That is so cool," Regulus breathed.

"You know our cousin, Nymphadora Tonks is a metamorphmagus too," Sirius told his brother.

"Shhh," Regulus shushed him, "mother will hear you."

Sirius rolled his eyes but didn't say anything more on the subject, rather he asked Harry, "Can I write to my friend about you, your nephew? Do you think you would like to meet them?"

It was a personal question that lacked tact, but then most of the Black's questions had lacked tact. So he answered, "Certainly, I always regretted not having more family."

Sirius gave him such a look, "Family isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"You're a selfish prat," Regulus snapped at him.

"Well, you're a spinless-"

"Sirius," Harry chided, "my son is three years old."

He flushed, "Sorry." They got to the correct landing, just in time as Teddy was giving one of his famous yawns.

"Guest bedroom is at the end of the hall," Sirius said, "it's clean and there's a small bathroom, and shower too. Don't be afraid to call for one of the house-elves, they are bitter little things but they are good at their jobs."

It was so good to see him alive.

"Thank you, Sirius, Regulus, goodnight," Harry said first, and then Teddy said, "Night-nights, Padfoo, Reggie."

"Goodnight, Mr. Peverell, night-nights, Teddy," they chorused in such perfect unison that Harry wondered how much of Sirius' dislike for his brother was bluster to keep up appearances around his Gryffindor friends.

Harry was relieved to find pajamas laid out on the bed for them, silky pajamas that seemed to fit them perfectly. They took a shower together, and Teddy nearly fell asleep in his arms. He used a drying spell and got him tucked into bed. Harry laid down beside him, staring up at the ceiling, not knowing where to begin unraveling the day's events in his own thoughts.

For once, Teddy didn't ask for a story, he just curled close against Harry's side and said, "Going to be okay, Daddy, I promise."

Harry curled around him, taking more comfort than he was probably able to return, "That's right, it's going to be okay. I promise you, my son. We will be alright."

Teddy fell asleep long before Harry was able to. He wondered how on Earth one went about keeping such a promise.

* * *

AN: I love you all, thank you so much to reviewers, you keep the ideas churning.


	3. You Just Know

AN: Did you enjoy being thrown into the pot? Many of you are probably confused, that's okay, in a single hour they time traveled, got kidnapped by Ignotus Peverell/goblins/centaurs/other magical creatures?, saved Bellatrix, kidnapped by Bellatrix, essentially blackmailed into having dinner with crazy people. Keep in mind that had Harry said no to them, he would be declaring himself their enemies -not a great idea.

BETAS: Endless thanks to Ahrnberg and Basberry!

Chapter 3 - You Just Know

 _He was bent over his desk, writing, taking notes, crafting charms that needed wands and words to be activated by a wave of a hand, a feeling of intention._

 _Henry Peverell was the crazy town librarian, a library so small the contents could be held in a medium sized shed. But it was his place of solace. The most frequent visitors were children, children that rather liked Mr. Rell's magic tricks._

 _It was with regret he locked up for the night and began his walk home. His salary didn't allow for him to own a car. He rented a room from a sweet cat lady -a squib, which took nearly all his paycheck. But anything was better than living with his foster family._

 _He had a bit in his pocket tonight, and it being a Friday night, he decided to head to the pub._

 _Which is where he met her; Naomi Lupin._

 _She was a pretty young girl, with wispy sandy-brown hair and large honey-gold eyes. She was not, perhaps, the most beautiful woman in the room, but Henry was attracted to her bell-like laugh and the way she waved her delicate hands around as she talked._

 _Naomi was rather flustered by Henry's attention, she could not imagine a man being interested in her, for she had claw marks all across the left side of her body. Her face was marred so that corner of her mouth was tilted down in a half grimace._

 _Henry did not care, for he had his own scars from a childhood not worth calling a childhood._

 _He pursued her, and that night, she brought him home to her small house across town. She -unlike him, had a car. She was a manager of a chain restaurant downtown._

 _Unclothed, she had yet more scars, and he kissed every one of them._

 _In the morning, he made her breakfast, and she dropped him off at work._

 _She never called him again after that, though he had been sure to leave his number._

 _Months passed and he feared his chances with her were over._

 _But one day she parked in front of the library as he was closing up. When she got out of the car, he saw that she had brought with her an addition._

 _His addition._

" _I can't do this alone," she gasped, leaning against the car, looking to be in the grips of some great pain, a hand to her rotund stomach._

 _He ran to her. "Did your water break?" he asked._

 _She nodded, biting her lip._

 _He offered her his hand and helped her into the back seat. As he was about to shut the door, she caught his wrist, "Will you marry me?"_

" _What?" he asked, startled._

" _Marry me," she said roughly._

 _He had always wanted a family, and whether this was his baby or not -it could have been. He or she could be his child._

 _And he had always wanted a family._

" _Yes," he said._

 _She nodded, "Then drive to the court house, I don't want my son to be born a bastard."_

" _A hospi-"_

" _We are getting married today!" she screamed at him._

 _He didn't argue after that. They signed the paperwork in the parking lot and just managed to make it to the hospital before their son started emerging into the world._

 _Henry moved in with his new wife and newborn child. The boy they named Theodore Lupin Peverell, though they called him Teddy._

 _It was the happiest six months of Henry's entire life, although Naomi was withdrawn and skittish, as if she expected monsters to come out of the closest._

 _One evening, Henry took his son out for a walk, the weather too pleasant to remain indoors._

 _Naomi Peverell stayed home, she did not like to be outside when the light from the sun faded._

 _When Henry returned from watching the sun set behind the hills, he found his life irrevocably changed._

 _A snake and skull floated above their house._

Harry woke with a shout. He hadn't remembered falling asleep, but his dream was sharp in his mind, more like a memory than a nightmare.

He scanned the bedroom, "Teddy!" he called, his son wasn't beside him.

Teddy emerged from the small bathroom.

"Teddy," he sighed in relief and opened his arms, the little boy came running. And Harry hugged him tight. Teddy was his only reason to be, and he would rewrite this world over to ensure he had a better future. If that meant playing nice with Blacks, if that meant going to Dumbledore begging for a job, Harry would do _anything_ for his son.

"Bad dreams, Daddy?" he asked, petting and pulling Harry's hair.

Harry sighed, "Not initially. But they were certainly strange."

 _And far too realistic._

"What's that?" Teddy asked suddenly, pointing over his shoulder.

Harry turned and lifted a piece of paper of the bedside table.

It was a photograph, the figures waved at them, well aside from the infant who merely smiled toothlessly at the camera. It was a picture Harry could not remember posing for, though it was certainly him, and beside him stood the woman from his dreams, and the house behind her was also from his dreams.

"Mommy!" Teddy said, pointing at the woman with the claw scars as if he had seen the photograph before.

Harry flipped it over and felt his blood run cold.

 _Henry, Naomi, and Teddy Peverell._

 _Dated: a place out of time and space._

At this point Harry was concerned; rapid time travel, fine. Helping and getting 'persuaded' to dinner by Bellatrix Black, fine. But memories and photographs of his that weren't really his - _or were they?_

"Can I keep it, Daddy? Please?" Teddy asked.

Harry didn't want to give him an image of a family that wasn't really his. But technically, Naomi Lupin would have been his great aunt, and besides that it would help keep their secrets safe. He gave the photograph to Teddy who waved at the figures who waved back at him, smiling.

Harry really didn't want to know the repercussions or legalities of time traveling were or what DMLE might make up.

He looked up at the door, wondering-

Harry jumped when he saw who was standing at the foot of the bed.

Kreacher, who looked younger but not much better than he remembered, was staring at them silently.

"Er, hello," Harry said, careful not to say his name.

"Kreacher came to tell guests that breakfast will be served soon."

"Right, thanks Kreacher, we will be down soon."

Kreacher stared at him with large unblinking eyes.

Harry decided right then and there that, no, time travel wasn't the weirdest thing going on here.

Sirius was waiting for them in the hall and he all but skipped down the stairs talking a mile a minute. Harry smiled and Teddy threw in the odd comment, Sirius was talking much to fast for the toddler to keep up but Teddy had a knack for fitting whatever he had to say into relevance.

At the base of the steps Walburga, and Sirius went down on his butt and sprinted toward the dining, successfully avoiding his mother from wacking him upside the head.

"Be silent, you ungrateful wretch!" She screamed at him.

Harry needed to get out of this house. "I need to get going. Thank you so much, Mrs. Black for your hospitality."

Sirius ducked back around the door frame, not looking at all surprised that Harry was on his way out, "Best of luck getting the job! Hope to see you in September!"

"You can apparate out of the greeting room," Walburga said, not sounding sad to see the back of him.

Harry had just been astounded that wanted him here in the first place, he and Teddy were wearing muggle clothes after all.

 _Clothes_ , just one more thing they would need that they couldn't avoid.

"Bye Padfoo!" Teddy said as Harry waved.

Turning on his heel, he nearly walked into Narcissa. Her hair seemed to glow in a beam of like coming in from one of the small windows.

"It was lovely to meet you, Mr. Peverell."

He nodded, "Miss Black." He walked around her to the next room.

"Mr. Peverell," she called just as he pulled out his wand. And whatever she would have said was lost as he was pulled away by his own spell.

* * *

They appeared on the outskirts of the Hogwarts and with Teddy in his arms, Harry began the long walk to the castle.

He kept looking over his shoulder, into the trees along the road, the feeling that someones or somethings were looking at them inexplicable.

On that walk, he thought of how he would present his case to Dumbledore.

 _Hey, Albus, this job is cursed but I'm the best candidate because -well, because I'm the best._

"Daddy, I'm hungry," Teddy said, pulling down on the collar of his shirt.

"There will be food at the castle," Harry said, knowing that among Dumbledore's faults, inhospitality wasn't one of them.

They had just gotten to the grounds when they spotted a familiar face. Teddy waved both arms, and Harry made a detour at once.

 _Hagrid._

The half-giant paused upon seeing them and in typical Hagrid fashion, he waved a big hand back, smiling back. He looked much the same, though his hair was darker without any grey and his cheeks were a bit more full.

"Ello," Hagrid greeted warmly, "And who might you two be?"

"Henry Peverell, and this is my son, Teddy Peverell."

"Hi!" Teddy greeted, knowing perfectly well who Hagrid was.

Since Hagrid and Minerva were the two visitors they received most often, more so even than Hermione and Ron.

Harry's break up with Ginny hadn't gone over well with the Weasleys, and he hadn't made time to repair any bridges between them.

"My name is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

"Hagrid, I'm hungry," Teddy told him.

Hagrid grinned, "You're in luck! I made scones. I just finished feeding my hippogriffs, so the scones should be ready now."

"We couldn't possibly impose," Harry said.

"Nonsense! I'll be glad for the company."

"Alright then, thank you," he said as Teddy grinned at being in the company of what were perhaps his two favorite people in the world.

Not having the typical greeting of Fang was the only thing truly different about Hagrid's hut. He served Harry tea and a blueberry scone and Teddy a large mug of milk and a chocolate scone. Teddy, knowing the ropes, immediately dunked his scone in the milk to let it soften.

"Thank you, Mr. Hagrid," Harry said.

"Thank you!" Teddy echoed, holding his scone down in his milk as if he were trying to drown it.

Hagrid flushed, "Hagrid is fine, no mister needed."

"I must insist you call me Rell then, that's what my friends call me." He didn't add that most of his friends weren't entirely potty trained yet. But that's what one gets when you become a social recluse, outside of work.

"Rell," Hagrid grinned, "What brings you to Hogwarts then?"

"I was hoping to apply for a job. Do you know if the DADA job is still available."

Hagrid laughed, "That job is always open. Bad luck that position is."

Harry shrugged, "Yeah, a lot of that lately."

"How about you, Teddy, hoping to see anything at Hogwarts?"

"Dragons!" Teddy looked up smiling.

Hagrid's warm laughter filled the hut and their conversation quickly turned into a discussion about dragon keeping and dragon lore.

After Harry finished his second cup of tea, he said, "I think I better go see if the Headmaster is in."

Teddy's expression fell, and Hagrid offered, "I can look after him for a bit, if you like? I have a litter of half-kneelzes that I would sure like a hand with."

His son looked up at him with large, pleading, emerald eyes.

Harry smiled, "That sounds like a marvelous idea. I cannot thank you enough, Hagrid."

Hagrid grinned, his cheeks slightly pink, he looked a bit relieved and rather pleased. Harry realized that it probably wasn't often people trusted him, it was one reason he had always been so loyal to Dumbledore.

But Harry knew Hagrid, and one was always safe with Hagrid -unless one was discussing blast-ended skrewts.

* * *

Harry guessed the password on the fourth try, _blood-pops._ At the top of the steps, he knocked and a cheery, "Come in!" answered him.

The room was just as it had been before Harry's sixth year. And seeing a younger, healthy Albus sitting behind his desk stole Harry's breath away. So many feelings, so many regrets, and sorrows, but in the end, it boiled down to being grateful for simply seeing this man alive, with his colorful robes and twinkling eyes before him.

For better or for worse, Albus Dumbledore had been his hero, his family, and Harry could not be anything but relieved to see him alive.

"Hello, my dear sir, I don't believe we have had the honor of meeting," Dumbledore greeted.

Harry stepped into the room with a benign smile, "Hello, Sir, my name is Henry Black Peverell. I've come in hopes that you are still accepting applications to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Position."

Dumbledore looked at once suspicious and intrigued, "Well then, I will be happy to inform you that I am indeed looking for a professor for that position. I am, as I am sure you know, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts.

"Am I correct to assume you did not attend school here? I believe I would have remembered you."

"I did not graduate from Hogwarts," Harry confirmed, which wasn't a lie.

"Please, have a seat. Lemon drop?" He motioned toward the little glass box at the front of his desk.

Harry nodded and wandlessly lifted the lid, taking three drops out before gently returning the lid.

Dumbledore observed him carefully and when Harry made eye contact, he felt a twinge on his awareness. But Harry had had too many sleepless nights and extreme paranoia not to re-approach Occlumency more seriously. Dumbledore couldn't even scratch the surface, and Harry made no indication that he noticed anything out of the ordinary.

"Well, Mr. Peverell, would you care to tell me which institution you did attend?"

"My muggle foster family refused to let me attend Hogwarts -or any freak-school. I am largely self-taught." Again, it wasn't much of a lie, yes, he had learned quite a bit at Hogwarts, be it was hardly anything to what he had been able to teach himself in the last three years. Since the end of the war, Harry had found himself quite more powerful than anyone had given him credit for.

"And you feel that you are qualified to teach at a school as prestigious as Hogwarts?"

"I do. Magic is not something reserved for those who attend private school."

"True enough, you said you foster family is muggle. Surely with the names Black and Peverell, you are not muggleborn."

"No, my parents were murdered by a dark wizard when I was a year or so old. I have only the briefest of memories of them. Don't ask me who they were, I don't know anything but for what the goblins deemed to tell me, which wasn't much."

"Are you related to Ignotus Peverell?"

"Yes, that much I was told. He didn't leave much of a legacy," not one that Harry had wanted anyway.

"Forgive me, but do you know the name of the dark wizar-"

"Tom Riddle," Harry said at once. He wouldn't be playing games with this. One way or another Riddle would end up being after him, and Harry wanted to do as much damage before he caught on. "He calls himself Voldemort."

Dumbledore went very quiet, observing Harry over his half-moon glasses.

Fawkes trilled and flew to Harry's lap, settling himself as if they were old friends. As he began petting the firebird, Dumbledore seemed to relax.

"Do you have experience with teaching?"

Harry nodded, "I do. I ran a library for a few years, school groups came through often for programs. I have also spent the last two years working full time at a daycare. These were muggle institutions of course, but I can assure that my abilities in Defense and Charms are most excellent."

"Daycare?" Dumbledore asked with a smile, "I cannot say I've heard of a young wizard who has worked at a muggle daycare before. What was your motivation?"

"After my wife passed, my son grew very quiet. I couldn't quite bare to be apart from him, so I found a job at a daycare and enrolled him there. I found the work quite rewarding."

"But you chose to leave?"

"Someone burned down my house."

"My sincerest apologies, do you know-"

"No," Harry said with a bit more anger than he intended, "And the Goblins have been less than helpful. We lost everything. _Everything_. I stayed away from the wizarding world because I didn't believe it was safe, but now I find that nowhere is safe. I am a teacher, Headmaster Dumbledore, and I would like to do my part in helping to keep the next generations safe for what's coming."

"And what is coming, Mr. Peverell?"

Harry gave him a hard look, "I might not have graduated from Hogwarts, but my wife did. She told me enough, and for the short time we had together she lived in terror of the rising unrest in this world."

Dumbledore raised a brow, "Who was your wife?"

"Naomi Lupin."

Dumbledore's eyes went very wide, and he leaned back in his seat. Harry could see the shimmer of tears in his eyes. "Naomi has been missing for a number of years… We had hoped…" he couldn't finish.

Harry looked down at the bird in his lap, his own chest tight, the memory of Naomi was fresh, and the pain of her loss was twisted together with Andromeda's death.

"You have a son?" Dumbledore asked after a long moment.

Harry nodded, "Teddy Lupin Peverell, he is the only thing that keeps me going most days." That was the absolute truth. Had it not been for Teddy...well, Harry didn't know where, or who, he would be.

"Lyall, her brother, is a dear friend of mine, did you not think to reach out to him?"

Harry nodded, "Naomi spoke of him, but they were estranged and she gave no reason as to why, nor did she leave an address to find him. I suppose I should have searched harder, but it was a murder and Teddy was barely a half year old."

"Murdered?" Dumbledore asked, and this time he too sounded angry, though not at Harry.

"Riddle, again, I think. His symbol was above our house. I don't know why he was after her." And he would have liked to know.

Harry wasn't sure what would have happened next because a pounding sounded at the door. And a man burst into the room, his hair a thinning and blonde, eyes a light brown. He held a letter clenched in his hand. "Albus," he said, he moaned.

The man paid no attention to Harry. Albus stood to his feet at once, walking around the desk to the distraught man. He extended the letter to him, shaking it at Albus. "My boy's friend sent him a letter. Albus, oh Albus, she's gone! My sister, my little sister… what have I done?"

Dumbledore embraced the other man, and the man held on, tears falling from his eyes, "I did this, my fault, it's all my fault! My son, my sister… Albus, oh Albus, what did I do?"

The man began to sob and Harry felt very inadequate sitting in the room. After some time Dumbledore asked what was in the letter.

Sniffling and pulling back, shakily, he said, "She died two years ago, murdered by the Dark Lord. She had a son, Albus, _a son_. She got married without telling me. Not so much as a note. After her attack... "

And that's when Harry realized that this must have been Lyall Lupin, and the letter was presumably from Sirius.

Harry stood, Fawkes in his arms. "Lyall Lupin?" he asked.

Lyall looked up at him startled, "Yes? Oh, you're- weren't alone, I'm so sorry, I'm-, My apologies, Mister-?"

"Peverell," Harry finished for him, "Henry Peverell. I was Naomi's husband. It is I who owes you an apology. When she died, I was quite lost."

Lyall stared at him, then shook his head and held out his hand.

Harry shook it, and balancing Fawkes in one arm like a baby. "No, don't apologize. My sister and I… I invited much grief into her life, it is not your fault. I am glad to meet you."

Harry flinched inwardly at the lies, though he remembered Naomi, he hadn't been her husband not really. Even if his emotions were telling him another story.

There was an awkward silence and Lyall asked, "You had dinner with the Blacks?"

Harry grimaced, "Bellatrix Black, I met her on my way out of the bank, she was in a duel, three to one. I helped her, and she _insisted_ we come to dinner with her. It was an -interesting experience."

Lyall nodded, "Sirius Black is one of my son's closest friends, I don't care for that family much though."

Harry couldn't argue with that sentiment.

"You- did you- How was it you and my sister met?" Lyall asked thickly.

"A pub. I was the librarian and she was the manager of a restaurant downtown."

He nodded, "She always feared… that is after she was scarred, that she would never find anyone. They didn't, but you were able to see her."

The sensation of scar-tissue beneath his lips as he- Harry looked away, the memory vivid and searing. A lump formed in his throat as he said, "Naomi was a beautiful woman."

He felt foolish reacting so, but he couldn't help remembering, it went beyond the memory of the dream, he had _known_ her. And her loss overlapped with Andromeda's death so that he couldn't tell which sorrow was more real.

"I'm sorry," Lyall said, "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Harry said.

Fawkes began to sing, and after he was done, and the tears had been swept away, Dumbledore sat them down for a cup of tea.

Lyall asked, "So, you have a son?"

"Theodore Lupin Peverell. He goes by Teddy. He's three years old. And your son, Remus, yes? Is he Sirius' age?"

"Yes, he's fifteen, now. I'm sure he and my wife, Hope, would be happy to meet you both."

"Speaking of which," Dumbledore interjected, "Your son, where is young Teddy now?"

"Oh, he's with Hagrid," Harry said easily, "I believe they are taking care of half-kneazle kittens."

"The grounds keeper?" Lyall asked, surprised. "You left your three year old with someone you had just met?"

Harry shrugged, "It's Hagrid."

"And what about Hagrid won your trust?" Dumbledore asked curiously, "You have not appeared to me to be an overly trusting man."

Harry met his gaze, "There are some people, some people, you just know, you know?"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling, "I do, indeed. Well, I have places to be, but I trust that Lyall will be able to assist you, Mr. Peverell."

Harry placed his teacup down on the side of the desk, "About the position-?"

"Consider it yours, I'll send you a recommendation of textbooks for each year, but as there is no one else vying for the position, I will be happy to see you _and_ your son on the 1st of September."

Harry grinned, but then said more soberly, "I hate to ask, but might I ask for a month's advance? We are rather stretched at the moment."

"Nonsense," Lyall said, "Our family takes care of our own. No, Albus, I won't hear of it. The Lupins take care of their own."

Albus Dumbledore watched his good friend and the new, curious professor go. Once they were out the door, he accioed the record book of names to himself. He found the name _Henry Black Peverell_ a few spaces down from Alexander Nott. Beside Mr. Peverell's name was a little 'X', indicating that he had declined his invitation to attend.

Quite curious, indeed.

* * *

AN: Please leave your thoughts and reactions for your overworked, mostly crazy, grad student, amateur author?


	4. Conspiracies

Chapter 4 - Conspiracies

"Daddy, please! Please can't I keep her?"

"No," Harry said firmly.

"But Daddy-"

"Teddy, I will not have a job for the month. Where would you keep her?"

Teddy looked down sadly, running his hand over the kitten that arched into his hand. Its purring was loud and deep for such a tiny creature.

"Really, Mr. Peverell-" Lyall began, looking askance at the small ball of fur.

"No," Harry said again, "no, we will not impose on you any more than we already are. I am not going raise a kitten in a guest room."

"But Daddy, I'll take ca-"

"Will you now?" Harry asked skeptically, "Will you use a knife to cut up its food or give it medicine or-"

Teddy was crying now which made Lyall and Hagrid look as if they were about to go into a panic.

Harry sighed, "Perhaps…"

His son looked up at him, his hair turning a pale sherbet orange. His green eyes full of hope and the threat of waterworks. Teddy didn't ask for much, so this wasn't usual, but as Harry worked at a daycare, tears didn't break him. But even he was having trouble saying no to the tiny tuxedo kitten purring like a motor.

"Perhaps," he sighed, "Hagrid might be willing to care for her for a month and we can buy her when we return for the school year."

"Of course!" Hagrid said, sounding beyond relieved to see Teddy's smile return. "This will be good, Teddy, your little Regina isn't quite ready to leave her siblings yet."

Harry thought it was tactful that Hagrid didn't say mother. As an orphan himself, people had often brandished his lack of parents in his face. Kids were cruel, and even in daycare 'Teddy doesn't have a mommy' became an object of discussion.

Whoever said that kids were purely innocent angels, clearly had never raised one, or if they had they hadn't paid close enough attention. Kids were impressionable, curious, and limit testers.

Teddy hugged the kitten and kissed the top of its head.

 _Although_ , Harry supposed, Teddy would always be his little hero.

Gently placing 'Regina' back in her basic with the rest, Teddy proceeded to say goodbye to each and every one of the other kittens and the mama cat who looked as if she would murder all of her own babies if they tried to snag a drink from her inflamed underbelly. Though she raised her head for a pet from Teddy.

After this, he gave Hagrid a hug goodbye. Hagrid's arms engulfed him and for a moment it seemed he would be lost in the great black beard. But he emerged safely and went to Harry, lifting his arms in a pickup gesture, which Harry obligingly did so.

"Uncle Lye, is Remus going to be home?"

Lyall smiled, though sadness still lurked in his eyes, "Yes, your Cousin Remus will be home and so will your Aunt Hope."

Teddy smiled and rested his head on Harry's shoulder as they made their way to outskirts of the Hogwarts' wards.

"I really can't thank you enough," Harry said again.

"Nonsense, it will be good to have some family over, Hope is an only child, we don't have enough company, it shall be a welcomed change."

When they reached the disapperation point Lyall offered his hand which Harry took and together the three of them were flung through space.

* * *

The Lupin house was quite nice, and quite a bit bigger than Harry would have expected given Remus's near vagabond dress when he had known him.

A woman with long golden blonde hair greeted them at the door, her eyes were large and blue.

"Lyall," she began, sounding worried. Remus appeared at her shoulder and he looked equally concerned, but it was Remus who noticed the newcomers first.

Teddy began to wiggle and Harry put him down. He went running toward Remus and lifted his arms to be picked up.

Remus, looking rather confused, obeyed the silent demand as Lyall and Harry reached the steps.

"Hi," Teddy said, looking at Remus as if he would memorize his face.

Harry couldn't quite tell what his son was thinking, but whether or not he thought of Remus as his long lost father or a cousin, it was clear Teddy trusted this sandy-haired youth.

"You look like Mommy," he informed him.

Remus gave a half smile, "You must be Teddy."

"And you're Remus," Teddy grinned back, his features shifting so it was as if Remus was holding a mini-Remus.

"You're a metamorphmagus," he said, astounded.

Teddy nodded and patted Remus' cheek, "You're a werewolf."

The Lupins froze, three pairs of eyes shooting toward Harry, but Harry had eyes only for his son.

"Mommy was attacked by a werewolf too, that's why she wasn't so good at smiling."

Harry shut his eyes, his mind reeling. He hadn't told him that. Harry hadn't told Teddy anything about Naomi because Naomi had never existed before and Naomi _was not_ Teddy's mother.

It was not as if he could have confused the stories of Nymphadora and the single, unknown origin photograph they had.

Nymphadora had never been attacked by a werewolf.

"Teddy," Harry said gently, "It isn't polite to talk about people getting attacked."

Teddy put a finger to his lips, "Secret?"

Remus nodded, putting a finger to his own lips, "Secret."

Teddy giggled.

"What's going on?" Hope asked.

Lyall coughed to clear his throat, "Hope, Remus, this is Mr. Henry Peverell and his and Naomi's son, Teddy. Teddy this is your Aunt Hope and your Cousin Remus."

"Please, Rell is fine," Harry said. "It is a pleasure to meet you both."

"Hi," Teddy said, waving to Hope.

Did it matter that they were in truth his grandparents and not his uncle and aunt? Not really, family was family, but it was a problem that he remembering things that they had never experienced.

Harry would get the goblins back in some non-lethal way for this, but when he discovered who was messing with his son's memories… there would be hell to pay. Whatever deviousness the goblins could concoct, Harry knew enough of their history to know that this type of magic was beyond. Which meant that there were more people, human or otherwise, conspire against him.

Just perfect.

Teddy was three years old, there was no telling how mind magic might affect him later on in life.

Remus looked a little stunned to be holding a small child, a small child who knew he was a werewolf while said child's father also knew he was a werewolf. As if catching Harry's train of thought he looked up at him with a question across his face.

Harry smiled, "You may not hold my son during the full moon, but then I was not inclined to think you would want to."

Remus' lips turned up into a rueful smile, "No, Sir."

"Well come on in for some tea," Hope said, "So, Rell, where are you from?"

Hope Howell Lupin was a breath of fresh air. She created a peace around her like a wave across a trodden beach. It was hard to be lost in sorrow or fear or rage as you watched her flit around a room, singing softly to herself.

She was both a musician and an artist, each room had a touch of her painted on to the wall. It took Harry an hour to realize there were magical, painted butterflies and other painted creatures that would flit from wall to wall, room to room. Hope had a piano in the living room adjacent to the kitchen. It would sometimes pick up on the tune she was singing a play along.

It reminded him a bit of the burrow, but instead of cheerful chaos, this home was like an oasis from reality.

Teddy had fallen asleep in Remus' arms by the time she served tea, and when Harry offered to take him, Remus only waved him away.

Whether as cousins or father and son, Harry was glad to see them bonding.

"Rell and his son will be staying with until the new school starts," Lyall said.

Harry sipped his tea before saying, "I will pay you back, Lyall, but we lost everything in the fire and the bank unsympathetic. They gave me enough to buy my own supplies but I will repay for the food and lodgings."

"No, it is our honor to have you. I have some of Remus' old things that should fit your little one. Merlin knows, they grow out of them so fast," Hope said.

Harry smiled, "If I could keep him little I would, but I love watching him grow as well, watching him discover new things."

"He won't tell anyone, will he?" Lyall interjected.

"No," Harry said, knowing what had the man so agitated from the moment Teddy greeted Remus. "He's young of course, and I shouldn't make promises, but he isn't comfortable talking to most people."

"He talks to us," Lyall argued, "he talked to Hagrid. Did he talk to the Blacks?"

Harry took a deep breath. "He-"

"This is my son's future."

"Dad, it's okay," Remus said softly as to not wake Teddy.

"No, it isn't," Lyall said, "Who tells a three year old that kind of secret?"

Harry leaned back in his seat, "We lived in a world where no one believes in magic and when my magical son asks why his mother had scars, I told him the truth. Nobody in our world would have believed or questioned it. It would have just been a wild make-believe story."

"You told him about my son."

"I told him about a family that I wasn't sure we would ever meet."

"You could have found us."

"Lyall," Hope chided.

Harry would have loved to say that twenty years in the future he hadn't even known his name much less known Naomi existed. But there was a part of him that was a part of this world now, and he answered with what Henry, not Harry, would have said:

"Naomi and I had one night together, and then she disappeared. She showed up nearly a year later the day Teddy was born. We got married that same day and we had six beautiful months together. I cared for Naomi, I may have even grown to love her. But she was terrified of her past, of her own shadow. I was nineteen when she left us, do forgive me if I didn't follow the social protocols of becoming a widower and a single father. Forgive me, if I put my son's well-being over poking into her past."

What followed was an awaked, tense silence.

Teddy woke up crying, Remus stiffened.

Calmly, Harry stood up and took his son in arms. He went into the guest room, shutting the door behind with a flex of his hand.

* * *

She debated with herself for a day. But decided that any half-blood who would send three of his followers, Abraxas Malfoy, and the Carrows after her -to put her under the Imperious and when that failed, try to beat her into submission, wasn't worth her silence.

Which is how Bellatrix Black found herself sitting in the center of the DMLE, waiting to speak with an Auror.

Shacklebolt opened the door to his office and looked surprised to see her.

She held onto that image as his self-assured demeanor took over and he greeted, "Bella Black, what in the world could have brought _you_ to my office? I was under the impression you rather detested law enforcement."

She raised her chin, " _Who_ in the world gave you your own office? I was under the impression you were still in training."

"Desperate times, love," he said charmingly, leaning against the door frame, "Besides, I may be young, but I'm good at what I do."

She _knew_ that, she knew that all too well. Bella didn't let her thoughts show on her face. "Are you going to invite me in? Or am I too 'crazy' to be taken seriously?"

He merely smiled, stepping back to invite her in. She didn't know if she wanted to hex him or take him up against the wall like she had done at sixteen in the Slytherin dorms one Halloween Feast.

But she was here on business, and when she finished her account, Shacklebolt wasn't smiling, not at all.

* * *

Hope glared at her husband, "He isn't here for two hours, did you have to interrogate him?"

"He knows-"

"And he wasn't the least bit afraid."

"Was Aunt Naomi a werewolf too?" Remus asked talking as softly as he had done when his cousin had been in his arms. His little cousin that knew what he was and had been comfortable and not the least bit fearful of him.

"No," Lyall sighed, "But she was attacked and scratched up rather badly a few months after you."

"Badly enough that a child that young would ask?"

Hope and Lyall exchanged a look, and she said, "Naomi was hurt visibly enough so that she was scared to be seen in public. She left the wizarding world and gave up magic."

"We haven't heard from her in eleven years, Remus."

"And you are surprised that he didn't contact us?" he asked skeptically. Then another question occurred to him, "Wait, did he say he was nineteen when she died? That would make him what, twenty-one years old? He's really young, isn't he?"

"I suppose he is," Hope said, "Really Lyall, you mustn't be so hard on him."

He rubbed his eyes, "You're right, of course, I'll apologize to him."

The air between the Lupins and Harry remained tentative after that. Which was not surprising as Lyall was grieving and Harry was still attempting to find his footing.

Still trying to decide which reality his feet belonged in.

* * *

AN: Short chapter, but Teddy's cuteness is vital to showcase ;) Reactions? Thoughts? Ideas? Theories? Please?


	5. A Tired Grey

KEYNOTE: Time jumps, weather should tell you the transition. I am not Horcrux harping, reason, reason, it will play itself, I do have a plot, but Horcruxes aren't central to this fic.

WARNING: Harsher language in this fic, this will be close to an M rating, just shy of it, at least in relation to what I have read on this site.

Chapter 5 - A Tired Grey

"Lucius!" she called, reaching out she caught his arm as he attempted to walk past her without so much as a glance.

He halted, giving her such a look of disdain, "Let go of me."

She felt her expression close down. Never, _never_ had Lucius Malfoy ever spoken to her in that way. Sure, she had seen him like this before, but never with her. He was always the gentleman, always doting, courting her with such care and reverence.

That was not how he looked at her now, his sky grey eyes seemed as flat and unappealing as unpolished steel. His apathy, his disgust…

She had never felt so small.

But she didn't let go, three years, three years of stolen kisses, exchanging gifts, promises, she couldn't just let him go.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Let. Me. Go," he said deliberately, each word crawling lower.

Narcissa glared at him, "Lucius, what's wrong?"

So much taller than she, he looked down his nose at her, "Your bitch of a sister had my father arrested. We're done, Black, over."

She shook her head, "What? How could Bella get your father arrested? Lucius, he was working for a dark lord."

"How do you think she knew about him? She's a traitor to the cause. And do not believe for an instant the Dark Lord will not seek vengeance."

She let go of him, taking a step back from him, people were wise enough to walk around them, not between them. "My sister isn't a snitch. And she wouldn't join-"

He stepped closer to her, bending to whisper in her ear but purposely not to touch her. "Your sister is a snitch and a whore. She didn't just believe in the Dark Lord's message, she was warming his bed."

She jerked back from him, her cheeks flushing. Her sister had no impulse control, none. If someone wanted to take advantage of her, they could, that is, if they were willing to be vulnerable around her. Bella was just as likely to hurt herself as the people around her.

And Narcissa didn't have nearly the control over her that Andromeda had had. Andromeda who had left them behind, nearly throwing Bella over the edge.

"You know it isn't her fault."

"No, what I _know_ is that you are just as tainted as she is," Lucius told her, and he walked away.

She stood frozen on the spot. Sorrow, rage, _humiliation._ Humiliation that she had ever been fool enough to consider marrying such a cad. Rage because she felt sorrow for the loss of him.

She shut her eyes against the day, shutting out the crowd, casting aside her feelings. Taking all that she had ever felt for Lucius Malfoy and stabbing it. She tore through every dream, every plan she had made for their future.

When she opened her eyes, the day felt colder, _she_ felt cold.

She felt nothing. Not sorrow, not anger.

No, she didn't care enough to be angry.

At least, that's what she told herself as she went about her day.

* * *

"Mama," Nymphadora said pulling on her Mama's skirts.

"Yes, baby," she said, kneeling to look her in the eyes.

Nym shifted her hair to wispy sandy-blonde hair, her eyes turning honey-gold. "I dreamed about someone like me."

Mama tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

"Someone like me! His mama looked like this," and she tried to shift the left side of her face, but when she looked down at her hand she saw only purple stripes.

"That must have been quite a dream."

"No, Mama, it was more than a dream. Someone looks like me now!"

"What do you mean, Dora?" Daddy asked.

"Someone looks like me," she repeated, frustrated that they didn't understand her. Her hair turned bright orange around her, and she knew her eyes were emerald green.

"Do you mean someone else is a metamorphmagus?" Mama asked.

 _Finally._ She smiled, "We look just the same, but he's a boy. We're goin' be best friends."

Her parents exchanged a smile, and the day seemed very bright to Nymphadora despite the down pouring of rain outside.

* * *

Professor Peverell had been living with them for three weeks and the only thing Remus had learned that he hadn't noticed the first day was that he was terribly studious.

James and Sirius wouldn't enjoy that.

The door to the guest room was cracked open and he couldn't help but peek in, he was a Marauder after all.

It was a sunny day and Professor Peverell had the windows wide open, letting the sunlight and summer heat spill into the room. He was sitting at his desk, taking notes from a stack of books Dumbledore sent him. In that uncanny way of his, he turned the door, meeting Remus's gaze.

He froze, thinking for sure he would be in trouble, but Peverell just waved him in.

Cautiously, Remus entered the room and found Teddy splayed on the bed, snoring lightly.

Peverell smiled, and said in a soft but not whispering voice, "Sleeps like clockwork that one. Two to three thirty, out. Eight o'clock, out like a light, Five am? Up before the sun in winter."

"No sleeping in then?"

Peverell smiled ruefully, "I don't think I could if I wanted to now."

Remus smiled tentatively back, it was hard not to be put at ease by Peverell. He was such a mysterious, quiet but quick witted, distant but powerful. It was like he had the demeanor of Lily Evans and the energy of Albus Dumbledore, just standing this close to him, Remus could feel it like a buzz in the air.

He had asked his friends if they could feel other people's magic like that, but they had said only once a witch or wizard got mad. But Peverell wasn't mad, even that day Father had accused him of trusting his son with their secret, he hadn't been mad. Annoyed perhaps, but more it seemed because someone had questioned his parenting, but not to such a degree that Remus would call it anger.

Peverell motioned toward one of the extra chairs, and Remus sat beside him.

"What are you working on?" he asked, looking at the man's handwriting that looked scratchy but legible.

"Your curriculum, these books are terrible, but they will do. I certainly won't be assigning many papers off these books. Perhaps projects where you try out spells and detail to me what worked or didn't. Perhaps...hmm… I suppose we will see what level everyone is at. Did you have any good DADA professors in the last four years."

Remus shook his head, "Our first year professor was pretty cool. She was a retired Auror, but she… well, there was an incident with the giant squid that nobody has really explained."

"The squid? Interesting. But she was it?"

"Yeah, Professor Starborne was the best, everyone else, well, they taught from the books."

Peverell glared at said books as if the had personally offended him. "Thank you. Yes, that will change things then. You don't need me to read a book." He swept his hand over the paper he had been working on, erasing the written words, "Back to the beginning then."

 _Wandless magic?_ Remus thought he had seen him do that before with other small things, but this was the first time he was sure of it.

"What were the professors like when you went to Hogwarts?"

"Oh, I didn't graduate from Hogwarts."

"Really?" Remus asked, unable to keep his curiosity out of his voice, "Durmstrang?"

He chuckled, "No, self-taught. My foster parents wouldn't let me attend a magical school. Lucky, I found my parents old stuff, and luckier still that the foster family didn't burn any of it. Which I'm sure they would have if they had known about the old books and wand in the attic."

"Does your wand work?"

"It does indeed."

"But I've never seen you use it."

"You've never seen me in a situation where I would need to."

Remus motioned toward the inkless paper, "But you-"

"I am very skilled in charms, but if you asked me to transfigure a tortoise to a teapot, I would need my wand."

"Oh," Remus said lamely. "Er, how do you, you know, use wandless magic?"

Peverell set down his quill, "It's all about intention and belief." He held out his fist, upturned, and when he opened his hand a butterfly flitted out of his hand.

"That's transfiguration!" he exclaimed, then quickly looked toward the bed where Teddy snored on. "Conjuring is super advanced," he said in a lower voice.

Peverell shook his head, and as Remus watched the butterfly dissolve into light the moment it crossed from the shadows to the direct sunlight. "There are limits to everything."

"Was it hard, being in the muggle world?"

"It was difficult living with my foster family, but-" he looked at the bed to his son, "I can't regret where my life led me."

"What was Aunt Naomi like? Father doesn't talk about her."

Peverell's emerald gaze went distant, and for a moment, Remus thought he smelled jasmine. But he had never noticed that the older wizard wore perfume before.

"Naomi was mass of contradictions. Once she made up her mind, nothing and no one could change her course. She liked to work, but I liked her best when she was relaxed enough to laugh. She had the most beautiful laugh."

"You really loved her, huh?"

Peverell frowned and looked away, "I wish I'd known her better…"

Remus looked at the young boy napping on the bed, and he wondered what it would be like to have a kid with someone you barely had any time with.

"Might I offer you some advice, Mr. Lupin?"

Remus looked back at the professor, "Remus is fine, you are my Uncle you know."

He shook his head, "Says the wizard who hasn't referred to me by anything but professor."

He flushed, "Sorry."

"Remus, your aunt was badly scarred by a werewolf. She was so afraid of how people would treat her she left her family, her home, her entire world behind."

He ducked his head, "People hate us."

" _People,_ suck. The people who would fear you for being cursed are the same people who would watch someone get murdered and not lift a finger. _People_ aren't who you should care about. Anyone who would treat you less than the kind and intelligent person you are, isn't worth your time. Don't let them define how you see yourself, don't let strangers take away your ability to enjoy your life."

"It isn't that easy, you don't understand-"

"I understand better than you know. Shoulders straight, Remus Lupin, where one door shuts, there's a wall that needs to be detonated."

Remus couldn't help but smile at that, no wonder Sirius had like this guy so much. "Thanks." He stood, "Um, if you need anything, just let us know."

Uncle Rell smiled, "I'm good, thank you."

Remus left and as he walked, he couldn't help but square his shoulders.

* * *

Shopping therapy, was the best type of therapy, though her mother might disagree with her. Her father, on the other hand, had given her carte blanche to buy whatever she liked.

He had already lost one daughter, and Narcissa thought he was fearful she might do something equally as rash and tapestry-blasting worthy.

He needed have worried, she was done with opposite sex altogether.

No sooner had she thought it then did Mr. Peverell walk into the robe shop. He was wearing hand-me-downs, she knew because the cut was nearly twenty years out of style, but still, he was handsome.

He wasn't as pretty as Lucius, nobody was, but his curly black hair was just as long. Mr. Peverell wore it tied back with a green ribbon resting of his neck, his eyes were an unreal emerald green, framed tastefully by golden rectangular glasses.

There was something so- so unique about him. The day was cloudy, the sky a tired grey, but from the moment he walked into the dim shop, everything seemed to be cast with a brighter light.

He smiled kindly at the shop keeper, who looked immediately flustered and stared down mournfully at the robes she still had to wrap for Narcissa.

Mr. Peverell seemed to understand her deluma, "Take your time, I'm in no rush."

May looked relieved, "Thank you, Sir. You can have a seat or come back in-" She hesitated, looking worriedly at Narcissa, who raised a pale brow at the bubbly brunette.

Again, Mr. Peverell put her at ease, "As I said, I'm in no rush." He turned to take a seat and for the first time saw her sitting there.

Narcissa sat poised, ready for his eyes to flick up and down her body. But he didn't look at her body -well, he saw her, but it was her expression he searched.

"Ms. Black," he greeted with a warm tone, "how are you?"

He took a seat beside her with none of the gentlemanly protocol upheld by their society, but with the distance he gave her, the eye-contact he kept, and general warmth he exuded, she couldn't quite recall being treated with such respect.

"I am well. And yourself?"

"Very well. Classes start in a few days. I overhauled the curriculum, so we will see what the students are capable of."

"As they say, the student can only be as good as the teacher."

He grinned, "Somehow, I doubt that was the case with your own education."

If she had been another kind of woman, she might have blushed, as it was, she gave him a cold look and said, "Don't presume to know me."

He raised a dark brow at her, his green eyes dancing with humor, "You want me to underestimate you? I must warn you, Ms. Black, I paranoid by profession, and such a remark only makes me more wary of you."

 _Is he trying to be funny?_ He wasn't truly afraid of her, not like so many people who heard the name Black and turned in the opposite direction, yet she didn't feel like he would underestimate her if it came to drawn wands.

He was such a fascinating conundrum.

"Where is your son, Teddy?" she asked.

"With his Aunt Hope, she's rather taken with him."

"Your son gave the impression he was hard to dislike."

The pride she saw on his face was quite different than anything she had seen before. "It isn't just an impression. I am quite convinced anyone who dislikes my son is a moraless, heartless soul."

"Do you judge everyone by their reaction to your son?"

He smirked at her, and she felt as if she were missing something. "Indeed," he drawled.

"Are you mocking me?" she asked.

He laughed, "I wouldn't dare."

She was quite certain he would dare.

May knocked over several boxes and Narcissa could have cursed her as Mr. Peverell's gaze left her. He stood to help, and she couldn't let him be noble and flirt with the large breasted, sweet-faced seamstress.

"May," Narcissa called, "It's fine, you can tend to Mr. Peverell. I will wait."

Mr. Peverell flashed her another smile, telling her that despite his claims that he was in no rush, that hadn't been the full truth. She had a moment to wonder how often he left his son in other people's care.

A half an hour, Mr. Peverell emerged from the back looking all sorts of dashing. He had chosen simple black robes that had one white strip from his inner collar to his waist. It was a toned down kimono style that had been in style fifty years ago and would be in style for another hundred years.

"Wise man," she praised.

"It's simple," he conceded.

"It isn't good enough for a wizard of your standing," May announced, "Are you sure you wouldn't like to look-"

"If my robes stay in a heap on that desk a moment longer, I will be on way," Narcissa cut her off.

May paled, if she did walk out then that would be a large commission payment lost, more than that, it would be a huge loss of time that she could never get back. May took Mr. Peverell's payment and hurriedly -yet carefully, went back to folding.

He turned to her, "Should I offer to take you to tea?"

"You should," she confirmed, "But I fear I could not except. Not today."

"Well then, I wish you a pleasant afternoon, Ms. Black."

She held out her hand to him, and he obligingly took her hand in his. He laid a soft kiss on her knuckles, all the while looking up at her with laughing emerald eyes.

"Good day, Mr. Peverell."

"Rell," he corrected, "My friends call me, Rell."

She didn't know what compelled her, but she said, "You don't have any friends."

He laughed, "Perhaps you're right, but I would like to be yours." And with that he swept out of the shop, taking with him the light of the sun.

She felt her heart thrumming in her chest, how unusual.

* * *

AN: Narcissa, bow before royalty. Thoughts? Reactions? Please?


	6. Interest

TIME/AU point that will not be explained: Voldemort was screwing Bellatrix but she wasn't his pawn. He sent people out to imperio her, but like Harry her will is too strong for that. So the cronies were going to beat and torture her until she broke. Harry stopped the first of many of such 'meetings' as Bella would have been able to fight them off. Had the timeline not changed, those attacks would have continued over about a year and Voldemort would have come in to 'save' her after she snapped.

The spit take came from A. Bella knowing that you aren't supposed to say the name Voldemort and B. she had not known he was a half blood.

Chapter 6 - Interest

Harry wasn't sure what he thought he was doing. Flirting with Narcissa Black? "I would like to be yours," he muttered disparagingly to himself as he walked down Diagon Alley.

Ron would had an aneurysm he had been here.

Harry sighed, pulling his thoughts back together. He was glad that Dumbledore had given him an advance, probably more than was his monthly salary, but enough for him to buy a set of robes for himself and payback his debt with interest.

It wasn't as if there was no way to make money in the muggle world, with magic all things were possible. But the raids on the muggle world were a daily feature in the Prophet and he wouldn't risk being one of them with his luck. As unsafe as the wizarding world could, as faulty as the Hogwarts defenses were, the truth was this was their world.

And nowhere was truly safe.

Harry entered the bank, and was pleased to see the halls crowded. A goblin directed him to a seat and told him snidely, "Debt payers have to wait."

Harry smiled cordially, "Of course, I understand."

He took his seat, pulling out a book and began to read about Odysseus. He read part of Homer's poem for twenty minutes, letting the goblins get in their sneers and snickers.

But they were busy and the novelty of making a wizard wait on them lost their interest soon enough.

Carefully, Harry began to weave his spell. He spoke the Latin softly, imbuing the book he had found in a free pile outside a muggle book store.

He felt the click of the illusion take hold, and when he moved his hands, they appeared to still be holding up the book. He stood, an invisible ripple in the air, he looked down at his seat where his likeness sat reading.

He grinned, and put the spelled book down on the bench. He took a minute to stretch. One of the benefits of being an insomniac was having more time to do mundane things.

Like exercise.

This would be so much more fun than the first time.

Harry slipped through the crowd and waited to get onto a cart with single small witch and a goblin. He didn't get into the cart, rather hung on to the back of it.

This particular illusion should hold because he hadn't enchanted himself, he had enchanted the book. Even if the waterfall stole his invisibility, the moving image of him reading (set to a fifteen minute loop) would still remain.

The cart built speed, racing down the tracks, and Harry was not surprised to find his memory of the way to the Lestrange Vault sharp.

It had been three years, but who would forget the first day they used the Imperius Curse?

He jumped as the cart turned from the direction he needed to go. At such a high speed, his legs jolted him on impact and he lost his footing. He hugged the track, and hurried climbed back on to it, ignoring the stinging on his hands, he began running along one of the rails. Running, oddly, was easier than trying to walk it like a balance beam. As long as he kept his momentum going, he wouldn't fall, or that's what he told himself.

There was a dramatic uphill and he used a spell that was purely inspired by muggle superheroes.

Pointing his wand at the crest of the track thirty yards away, he said, " _Filumo."_

The tip of his Holy Wand shot out a steel wire that could hold thousands of pounds -his experimentation paying off. Taking a firm grip, he jumped, casting, " _Indicium!"_ and the wire pulled him across the drop.

Harry laughed as the wind brushed his face.

He had missed this.

" _Filumo_ ," he cast again as a cart came tumbling toward him. He ducked under the track. His arm stretching as his body hung above the abyss. He was invisible but for the line of wire around one track that occupants of the cart paid no mind to.

Harry looked through his own body to the abyss below him. He wasn't the least bit daunted as he listened for anyone else coming over the sound of the water rushing downward.

Was this recklessly dangerous? Absolutely. But he didn't feel he was in any danger. He knew a million and two ways to break his fall if it came to that.

As he spun slightly he had another idea. He had originally planned to use a combination of a shield charm and aquamanta, but this… this might work better.

" _Finite, Filimo!"_

One thing movies don't really abide by is how fast gravity works, Harry had already plumited several feet by the time his wire caught just before the spray of the waterfall.

Like Tarzan, one of Teddy's favorite animated films, he swung through the waterfall. Harry thought the movie was a bit violent, but the music was good and Teddy seemed to appreciate that Tarzan had lost his parents just like they had.

Thief's Downfall worked just as it was supposed to, and it was lucky Harry had enough kinetic energy to not just make it through the fall but carry him a ways to the other side.

Unfortunately they also took the enchantment of his glasses, so it was through droplets of water he recast his wire charm, that thankfully caught the otherside of the tracks.

He was visible now, but it was dark and there was no one to see him.

Using his free hand he recast the charms on his glasses so he could see clearly, and took stock of his barings. He was still soaking wet and he wondered…

He used a drying spell with his hand, and his invisibility snapped back. Merlin, that arcic book of charms he had found and updated had been worth every hour.

He saw the hole to the old vaults he needed to get to.

And swung himself over to the wall, abandoning the tracks all together.

This worked out in his favor as he made his way around the rocky clefts deeper into the earth. He ended up being above the dragon.

" _Lumous,"_ he said softly, casting the dimmest of lights.

The poor thing lay curled in on itself, it's white scales gleaming by the faint light Harry was casting.

" _Dragon,"_ he hissed. Harry had learned that his Parseltongue skills came from Voldemort's Horcrux, but having grown up with garter snakes while pulling weeds, he knew the language well enough.

The dragon looked up werilly, as if it were waking from a dream rather than alerted to an intruder.

" _Hello?"_ it hissed back, though it did not at all sound like a snake.

" _Hello,"_ Harry greeted, " _I'm here to get you out."_

It looked up toward him, it's opaque eyes looking monstrous in the dark, " _Speaker or Serpent? I cannot see you."_

" _I'm a wizard."_

" _Speaker, why would you help me?"_ It was if it's words got clearer, whether because it was waking up or because dragons could speak Parseltongue but wasn't their mother language, he didn't know.

" _Because nothing and no one should be imprisoned for the greed of another." And then he added, "Also, it would please me to piss off the goblins."_

The dragon stood, " _I would like to eat them."_

" _If I free you, I would prefer you not eat people. They might try to slay you. If you don't hurt anyone, wizards and witches will come to take you to a dragon reserve."_

" _Would you have me trade one prison for another?"_

" _Would you stay here? Would you trade the skies for your pride? I will not be the one to slay you, but I do not have the power to protect you either."_

" _I don't need your protection, Speaker, I need you to break these chains."_

" _Will you eat me?"_

" _No, I swear it on the skies above, I will not harm you or your kin if you free me."_

That was good enough for him. " _What's your name?"_

The dragon raised its head to where he was, it inhaled, creating a rush of air, " _Simon."_

It didn't ask for his name in return and Harry felt that names meant little to this creature. " _I'm going to step onto your nose, then onto your neck, from there I will use my magic to break the chains."_

Simon the Dragon waited.

And Harry did just as he had said, a thrill going through him as he was able to be this close to such a magnificent creature.

The chains fell to the ground with a clattered that echoed through the cave. Simon let out a bellowing, deafening roar.

It ran toward the mouth of the cave began scaling the walls.

Screams and alarms went off.

Harry regretted that he couldn't just fly away with Simon, but he needed his alibi. So with regret, he jumped off the dragon, rolling to break his impact once they reached the ground floor.

Harry sprinted through the crowd not looking back at the beautiful scaled dragon racing toward his freedom.

Harry didn't care that he bumped into people, it didn't break the enchantment and everyone was bumping into everyone else, and nobody noticed the invisible man.

Using a quick cleaning charm over himself, Harry picked up his tattered poetry book and returned to his seat. He broke the enchantment, and calmly stood, walking over to one of the tellers who had stayed at his post, looking toward the mayhem in confusion and shock.

Gringotts had never been robbed before.

Harry placed the small bag of galleons on the counter. The goblin's eyes focused on him, then looked over his shoulder to where he had been sitting.

He wasn't the only goblin glaring and gaping at Harry. They knew, they all knew, he was the one behind this, but they had also been watching him, making him wait to be seen.

They were his alibi.

"Here's the loan, with your due interest."

The sound of glass shattering, a victorious roar, and screaming proceeded Harry as he exited the bank, smiling broadly.

* * *

"Daddy, can we go see Regina now?" Teddy asked again.

"Tomorrow, Teddy, Hagrid is going to watch you for my first day of classes, You can see your kitten then."

Teddy grinned and swung Harry's hand as they walked into the Great Hall, none of the students were here yet and Harry was certain that he would need to get his son to bed before the feast was over.

Most of the other professors were already seated, Harry was seated between Flitwick and Hagrid, Teddy on his lap.

"Hagrid!" Teddy enthused. Hagrid scooped up him up out of Harry's arms, and Teddy asked, "Kittens?"

And Hagrid grinned, launching into a detailed description of what had happened over the last month from the kittens fighting to what they had started to eat outside of their mother's milk.

Flitwick greeted Harry with an extended hand, "You must be, Henry Peverell, the new Defence Against the Darks professor. My name is Filius Flitwick, I teach Charms."

Harry shook his hand, and said, "Please call me Rell, and this is my son Teddy."

"Hi!" Teddy said before returning to interrogating Hagrid about his kitten.

Flitwick smiled, "I think teacher meetings will be more enjoyable this year."

Harry grinned, "Teddy makes most rooms brighter."

"Do you have much teaching experience?"

"Some, I've been working at a daycare the last two years so this will be an adjustment."

"Daycare?" Flitwick asked interestedly, "Muggle, I presume."

"Yes, Teddy needed to be around people and overprotective parent that I, taking a job there seemed like the best option."

"Most parents simply reach out to other magical parents."

"I was a librarian before Teddy, a bit of a loner."

Students began to enter and the noise level increased.

Teddy seemed to grow uneasy with the number of unfamiliar children and reached for Harry, Hagrid passed him over with a smile.

Teddy immediately buried his face in Harry's chest as more and more children entered the Great Hall, three seats down on Flitwick's side, Albus said, "Is he alright?"

Harry nodded even though he too was worried as he rubbed Teddy's back. He was hoping to have Teddy in his classes within a heavily warded corner of his classroom, but if he was this uncomfortable around the other students, he might have to find another option.

The idea being apart from his son for most of the day saddened him.

"They are louder than they usually are," Madame Pomfrey remarked on the other side of Albus.

"Well, it isn't every week someone breaks into Gringotts and releases a dragon on London," Slughorn said beside Pomfrey.

Teddy tilted his head to look at his father, he didn't say anything but he gave Harry a secret grin, that Harry returned.

Harry spotted his parents and Sirius, it was somewhat surreal to them. But a part of him warmed to see them alive.

Where there was life, there was hope.

The Sorting started, and Harry recognized only a handful of names.

Dumbledore stood and gave his greetings before introducing Harry, "And this year Professor Peverell along with his son, Teddy will be joining us, Professor Peverell will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."

* * *

"So what's he like?" James asked Remus.

"He's really nice, a bit quiet but-"

"But what?" James prodded.

"I think he's really powerful. He acts super laid back but he's… well, he's very good at wandless magic."

"Do you think it was because he wasn't formally trained?" Sirius asked. "Most of our textbooks are rubbish at describing wand movements."

"Maybe, but I tell you this, we shouldn't try to pull pranks in his class," Remus warned.

"Because he's your uncle?" James asked.

"Because he has Teddy with him and he's-" Remus cut himself off.

"He's what?" James prodded again.

Remus straightened, "Because he's a good person and doesn't deserve us goofing off, besides I don't think you'd like what he'd come up with for detentions."

"What makes you say that?" Sirius asked, tilting his head.

Remus shrugged, "I just have this feeling."

"Sounds like a challenge to me," Peter said.

James and Sirius grinned, and Remus sighed heavily.

* * *

Narcissa knocked on the door to her father's study, "Papa? May I speak with you?"

Cygnus Black put his book down and waved her in. She took a seat across from, sitting on the edge of the chair, back straight.

He reached a hand out to her and gave hers a little squeeze, "What is it, my dear?"

"In school, you said you were friends with Madame Pomfrey, correct?"

He nodded, "I was. Poppy and I are still cordial. Why?"

"I was thinking, perhaps, of returning to Hogwarts."

"Narcissa, you've graduated."

"I know, but I was wondering if perhaps you could ask if Madame Pomfrey would take me on as an apprentice. I do not wish to work at St. Mungo's, but I also want to make more of myself. The healer arts are respectable."

"That they are, and I would be happy to reach out to Poppy on your behalf. But my dear, I must ask, what does your fiancé say to this?"

Narcissa looked away.

"Narcissa," Cygnus said, "you are a witch who owes no man anything, but I had thought you were discussing dates for the wedding. An apprenticeship would mean work, time away. Perhaps all you will be doing is brewing potions, but you will be under Poppy's authority for at least a year. She will not accept you otherwise."

She nodded, "Lucius broke off the engagement."

Cygnus went very still. "When?" he asked flatly.

"A few weeks ago."

She couldn't tell if he was furious or pleased.

Neither could he. "Have you told your mother?"

"Of course not."

"Good, we will tell her the night before you leave so she will not send you a howler and will be glad to see the back of you."

Narcissa stood and bent to kiss his cheek, "Thank you, Papa."

As she was headed for the door, he asked, "Narcissa, this sudden desire to go to Hogwarts, it wouldn't have anything to Mr. Peverell, would it?"

Her face was an icy, polite mask, "Of course not, Papa."

He nodded, and after she left, he returned to his book, softly smiling to himself.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, comments, pretty, pretty please?


	7. Pink

KEYNOTE: This chapter goes to my friend Waka, who wrote the magic theory for this chapter. Also for Waka, I upped the rating a bit to T/M.

You were warned.

Chapter 7 - Pink

He really should have cared more about having both his parents in his classroom, but he didn't care, well not overly so. Harry was much more concerned with his slipping memories of Naomi and Teddy's remembrance of stories Harry had never told, of pictures he had never seen.

So it was with an air of relief for a much needed distraction that he welcomed in his first class of the year, the fifth year Slytherin and Gryffindor DADA class.

This was going to be entertaining.

Teddy was spending the day with Hagrid, Harry had decided that for this particular class it would be better if he was out of harm's way. For the other classes, he had set up a warded kindergarten area behind his desk, complete with a shelf of picture books, a bin of Legos, drawing supplies, a low table, a plush rug, and miniature couch. And Dumbledore had assigned a house-elf to escort Teddy to and from the restroom safely when the need arose.

It wasn't perfect, and Harry regretted a bit that Teddy was now on the homeschool route, but it wasn't as if he was isolated in a quiet house. Although, a part of the warding he had installed dimmed sound so Teddy's day wouldn't be completely filled with bangs and explosions.

Currently, Harry was partially sitting/leaning on his desk as his students entertained.

He knew immediately upon seeing the Marauders faces that they meant trouble, well aside from Remus who wouldn't meet his gaze.

Lily sat in the front row, Severus sitting beside her. Harry had made sure that the tables were aligned to one side, four long tables that sat six with no gaps between. It essentially forced them all to sit together, unless the two houses wanted to break up top to bottom, which the scholars of the class would never agree to.

But split down the middle they tried, the central row claimed by the eight Gryffindors as no one wanted to sit with the Marauders.

James sat behind Lily, Sirius behind Snape. Harry internally sighed, he might have to do assigned seating.

"Welcome to your OWL Defense Against the Dark Arts class," Harry greeted as everyone settled in their seats. "I am Professor Peverell."

Sirius and James exchanged grins, Lily looked up at him the way Hermione looked at test outline, and Severus looked at him as if he was expecting to be disappointed.

"If you participate in class and _individually_ do your homework there should be little reason you should not pass with an Exceeds Expectations. I stress the individually because I do not care how well worded or detailed your assignments you hand into me are, if you do not understand the content you will find it difficult to follow in class, and more difficult still to be adequately able to defend yourselves in a world of magic. If you need help, speak with me before or after class to arrange a meeting. Questions are not only encouraged but welcomed."

Here Harry paused to gauge the rooms attention, they seemed more curious about him as an person than the class material, but no one was falling asleep, so he would take it.

He flicked his wand at the board, the words ' _What is magic?_ ' writing themselves in a vastly more legible handwriting than his own.

James, Sirius, Peter, and a few others in the room sniggered. Severus gave Harry disgusted look as if he had just insulted his mother.

Lily and Remus stared at him interestedly, reserving judgement.

Taking in a deep breath, Harry began, "People assume magic is just words and wand movement. Most don't bother questioning it. It works so why bother? But why does it work? Some assume, as my late wife believed, that magic follows a logical sequence of events. Move wand, input words, and effect happens. However, most of the time logic just isn't applicable to even the most mundane magical effects. And when applied to the Higher magics, logic doesn't even enter into the equation."

The class had stilled now, some eyes were reexamining the blackboard.

"Ironically, the old muggle fairy tales and Disney movies had the right of it."

The muggleborns and half-bloods, including Severus, smiled a bit at that. The Purebloods, including James, looked as if such a notion was absurd, or maybe the confusion on their faces had more to do with the words 'Disney' or 'movie.'

"Faith, Imagination, and _Will_ are what actually drives magic," and those three words wrote themselves on the board without Harry moving a muscle. "With emotions allowing the taping of yet stronger magicks. The power to literally reshape the world around you at will with a wave of the wand and a few words works because you _believe_ it will work. Your imagination, your force of will, and your heart, those are elements that guide magic."

The class gaped at him as if they were trying to solve a math problem in their heads.

Lily looked at him as if he were the best thing on the planet.

A Slytherin in the back of the class raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms.-"

"Ms. Vanity, Emma Vanity. Sir, is that the reason why accidental magic happens? Not just because of emotions but because children don't understand, or don't impose, limits on what they think magic can do?"

"Twenty points to Slytherin, that is exactly right. Children have an easier time enacting magical feats when their emotions are high, that with a tailored spell, an adult might have trouble replicating the same results."

James looked distinctly put out by the Slytherins reward, leaning back in his seat. Harry was always amused by how children -or young adults, assumed the teacher couldn't see their expressions.

"Mr. Snape," Harry called, "Would you help me with a demonstration?"

Severus looked startled, and his shoulders hunched when the peanut gallery muttered something too low for Harry to catch.

Remus leaned away from his three friends when Harry cut them a glance, the Marauders mirth was instantly subdued.

They thought McGonagall could be scary, McGonagall hadn't been a child soldier.

Severus stood awkwardly in front of the room and Harry waved his wand and Teddy's table came to rest on its side so the legs faced Severus.

"I'm assuming you know a spell that could knock this table over?"

Severus attempted to glare at him, but he was too nervous to pull off his Potion Master counterpart look of embodied scorn.

Harry produced a strip of soft fabric, "Think you can do it blindfolded?"

Sniggers.

Severus ripped the cloth from Harry's hand, and without looking at Lily, he tied it around his own face and pulled his wand on the table.

"Now, I need you to believe you can knock over this table. I need you to know it in your bones that when you cast your spell, that table is going to crash to the ground. That there will be no possible way that this mundane table will be standing when you take off your blindfold. Do you understand the instructions?"

Severus gritted his teeth, "Yes, sir."

"Alright then, whenever your ready, Mr. Snape," and as Harry said it, he transfigured the table into a stone wall a meter and a half thick.

The class laughed, Lily made a protesting sound, but Snape yelled, " _Repello!"_ before she could warn him of the ruse.

The wall came crashing down and Harry flicked his fingers to shield the students from the rubble and the dust.

Severus ripped off his blindfold and gaped at the destruction he had caused by knocking over the 'little table.'

The rest of the class gaped with him.

"Now, we can't be sure if Mr. Snape's most excellent executed repelling charm, another twenty points to Slytherin, was due to his belief he could knock over the object he directed his spell at, or his emotional defiance to those disbelievers in the crowd. But hopefully, this demonstration will help you believe in the magic you were all born with."

The class blinked at him as if he were some strange creature newly discovered.

"Now, could the rest of the class please stand and find a place in the room to practice shielding charms. You should already know how to cast them, but I would like you to imagine you are shielding yourselves and your friends from giant physical boulders, and that if your shields should fail, you will be crushed to death."

The class stood, and Lily skipped to Severus's side with nothing but praise and talk of theory on her lips, much to Severus's awe, and James's eternal distaste.

Harry waved his hand at the rubble and stone, and the table righted itself to its original state and found its way back to its original spot.

Only one Gryffindor girl with dark hair caught the act of wandless magic, and she looked a bit fearful turning to her friend who was failing to produce a solidified shield charm.

Just like all those years ago, that surely wasn't as long ago as it felt, in his DA Club, Harry began to walk around the room giving suggestions and encouragement were needed. And just like then, he found he enjoyed it more than he expected he would, granted he was decidedly better and more confident in his own knowledge and abilities now.

"Professor Peverell?" Ms. Vanity began, and Harry knew the moment he turned to face her completely, the moment he turned his back on the Marauders and a certain Slytherin, it was a mistake.

He spun back around as he heard the spells snarled under breaths, three hexes from James, Sirius, and Peter, and something else from Severus. Harry's shield charms sprang around both halves the room.

Lily was spitting mad and Remus shrunk away from his friends, before anyone in the room could speak, Harry said coldly, "Twenty points from Slytherin, sixty from Gryffindor. Mr. Snape and Mr. Black, detention next Wednesday, Mr. Pettigrew detention Thursday, and Mr. Potter detention Friday night."

Snape glared at the Marauders and James protested, "But professor he-"

"Save it," Harry interrupted, "Don't take me for a fool, Mr. Potter."

"Professor," James went on imploringly, "I have quidditch tryouts on Friday."

"I'm sure if you a good enough flyer they will save you a spot or they can rearrange your tryouts, if however, my detention prevents you from making the team-" Harry's lips curled a bit at James's obvious arrogance that he thought could bend any situation to his favour. "Then perhaps hexing fellow students in the presence of your new DADA professor on the first day of class was a poorly contrived plan."

Sirius bit his lip, seeming to want to laugh at his professor's dry tone warring against his need to support James in all things.

"And Mr. Snape, when three hexes are headed your way, a _shield_ charm would have served better than an offensive spell that could have only hit one opponent." He raised his voice to the rest of the class, "A part of Defense, not just against the Dark Arts, but all dangers, is common sense."

The bell rang and Severus Snape was the first out the door.

* * *

As the first week of classes could have gone, this certainly hadn't been one of the worst. In fact, Harry rather enjoyed his classes, and upon his request, the first years from all four houses were put together.

They were adorable, and Teddy watched them all from behind Harry's desk as if he were watching a movie, which was -at least in Harry's mind, equally adorable.

Harry taught them all how to cast Patronuses, corporeal Patronuses. None of their spells could have fended off a dementor, but Harry taught them how to pass messages through them. To Harry's great delight, this meant at dinner that Friday night, the four houses were passing messages to each other, even Slytherin to Gryffindor.

Filius was staring at the silver animals in wonder as they flitted and danced around the Great Hall.

"And here I thought my animagus form was a show stopper," Minerva said a little wistfully.

The ghosts seemed a little affronted as well to not be as spooky to this crop of first years.

"I'm hoping it will motivate the rest of them," Harry said, placing more vegetables onto Teddy's plate. "I doubt the second years will be able to make a Patronus in one class period, or the seventh years for that matter. As they say, we are own worst enemies."

Dumbledore eye twinkled at him, "I am very pleased, Professor Rell, that you decided to join our staff."

Pomona stared at the giggling and smiling first years at every table, and she said softly, "I think Hogwarts needed you."

Teddy took this opportunity to show that he was always listening to the adults around him, "Hmm-hm."

Minerva, Filius, and Dumbledore laughed.

* * *

Harry spent most of his weekend outside by the lake, it was warm enough that Teddy had his feet in the water as he collected rocks and tried to find small fish to exclaim about in great detail to his father.

Harry was more than alright with letting his thoughts amble as he soaked in the sun and watched his son enjoy the last whispers of summer. He read and revised his class plans at night when Teddy clocked out.

"McGonagall told me I would find you here."

Harry looked up from where he sat beneath a tree, she stole his breath. In the afternoon sun, her hair looked like spun golden light. Her fair skin glowed, her curved lips were inviting, and her eyes… today they were as blue as the sky above them.

"Hello, Rell," she said.

"Hi Cissa!" Teddy called from the lake, before being distracted by a darting minnow he splashed after.

This gave Harry enough time to gather his bearings, "Hello Ms. Black, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

 _Curse it, am I flirting again?_

"I am Madam Pomfrey's new apprentice," she said, which explained the plain greyish robe with the white apron. She looked pointedly to the spot beside him, "May I sit."

"Of course," he said, feeling his heart pick up the pace as she sat beside him, not quite touching, but close. Oh, so close.

 _Is she here because of me? Am I that arrogant? Do I want her to be here because of me?_

Ron would be so disgusted with him, Hermione wouldn't be too pleased with this family either- but still…

"How did your first week of classes go?" she asked.

"Quite well," he said, "I enjoy teaching magic, I like the students, but let's see what happens when I begin to grade papers."

"I heard you gave my cousin detention."

Harry raised a brow, "This surprises you?"

She laughed, and his heart skipped. "No," she said, laughter still riding her words, "No, it doesn't surprise me that Siri received detention. However, professors at Hogwarts are known for their favouritism."

"If I have favourites," he began honestly, "I would likely be harder on them, not more lenient."

"Perhaps I should pass that message along."

"I wouldn't bother, if all the 'Marauders' needed were some benevolent advice, they wouldn't have become what they have."

"True enough. How is Teddy adjusting?" she asked, looking at the boy trying to lift a stone bigger than his small fingers could hold out of the water.

 _Well, he's having foreign memories rewriting his memories, but other than that-_ "He's been good. Fantastic, really. It isn't every child you can bring to work with you. But as long as I am around he has been content to do his own thing. He and Hagrid have gotten on like white on rice. And his new kitten Regina has made our apartment quite homey."

"That's wonderful to hear. When my sister first brought you dinner you seemed a little- frazzled."

He winced, "I was a bit out of sorts. But what about you? Are you planning to become a healer, transfer to St. Mungo's?"

"No, I would rather- well, I want to be a healer, but I have no desire to work in a hospital."

"Understandable," he said, as he watched one of her curls that had fallen from her braid float on the breeze. "Nurses are always in high demand, in the muggle world that is, or first responders, or -well, the muggle world has a whole host of opportunities for medically educated individuals outside of hospitals."

"Is it terrible of me to say that I would rather have a family than a career?" she asked abruptly.

He gave in to his impulse to tuck that bit of loose curl behind her ear. "No," he said voice dipping. Her hair was unimaginably soft, he noted as he reluctantly pulled his hand back. "Nothing at all."

Hell, it was how he felt. He liked teaching, but he liked being a father more. It was something his friends had never truly understand stood, not even the parents that cared for him, like Molly Weasley, truly understood why he would give up everything he had and everything he was for his son.

"You are the strangest wizard I have ever met," she said, her gaze searching his.

Pushing back up his gold framed glasses, he answered with a small smirk, "You are not the first to say that."

Narcissa smiled, "That, I don't doubt." She pulled a book out from a pocket -it must have been a pocket like Hermione's purse because it was a rather large tome, and settled in to read at his side.

They didn't speak for the rest of the afternoon, but her presence-

He liked her. Merlin help him, but Narcissa Black was too beautiful, too -too her, to not try to get to know her better. Harry didn't know all her motives for being at Hogwarts, for sitting beside him now. He didn't even know if she was involved with Lucius Malfoy.

But he knew one thing, he had spent his entire life surviving, just making it through, and he wanted to do more, he wanted to live; to try.

So he would try his luck, and the university be damned.

"Daddy! I'm leaving!" Teddy decided after pushing his pile of rocks back into the water. He picked up his shoes and sprinted back toward the castle.

Harry sighed, "That's my cue." She stood with him.

"A pity," Narcissa said, "You will miss the sunset."

He didn't glance behind him at the light glimmering off the water. Before he could lose his nerve, he bent to kiss her cheek, and spoke against her ear, "I am glad to see you again, Ms. Black."

With more confidence than he felt, he stepped away from her with a smirk and followed his son up to the castle. Teddy was ahead of him but Teddy rarely ran far from Harry's sight line.

He couldn't say he knew Narcissa that well, but he was almost certain that her lack of a witty comment or cold dismissal was a good sign.

At dinner that night, she sat on the other side of Poppy, too far away to start easily start a conversation with. But he could have sworn when their gazes met, her cheeks tinged pink.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, suggestions, pleas for mercy? Please?


	8. Joint Effort

KEYNOTE **Concerning Gringotts** : How would Harry have gotten into the lower vaults? He would have needed two keys and a goblin. So he just freed the dragon as a sort of prank and magical beast rights kind of deal.

Chapter 8 - Joint Effort

Voldemort backhanded Lucius, "I want them, I want all three of them. They will pay for this insult. They will all pay."

Lucius groveled on the marble floor, "Yes, Master."

* * *

Her skin looked like milk in comparison to the rich earth tone of his skin.

She had forgotten what he was like between the sheets. Perhaps she had made herself forget, because as his full lips captured hers, his tongue slipping between her teeth- Kingsley was enough to make a witch forget any wizard before or after him.

Suddenly, he flipped them, pinning her arms to the pillows above them. She arched beneath him, delighting in how big he was, how his bulk dominated her. Bella knew herself, knew she was wild and powerful, enough to outmatch almost any partner, but not Kingsley.

He made her feel like a woman, made her feel beautiful.

"Why?" she gasped.

He rumbled something, the word lost in the deep base of his voice.

She moaned in response and breathed, "Why did we stop?"

And less deeply he purred, "We haven't stopped, Bella."

She purred back, wrapping her long legs around his back, her feet resting on his lush backside.

He groaned, "I am missing work today because of you. I have never missed a single day of work."

"Why did we _ever_ stop?" she asked.

He nipped the side of her neck. "You laughed at me," he said as he plunged his length into her.

She gasped, even ready for him, she was wonderfully surprised by him. Surprised and grateful at the way he touched her, the way he made her feel kept her in the moment, kept her centered. And it went beyond the sex, beyond the stretch and pull of him.

Kingsley treated her as no one else ever had, like she was a person, an independent person capable of more than magic and mood swings. He was perhaps the only one who neither judged her for what she wanted and yet kept her accountable to her choices. In his dark gaze, she was complete, in his arms, she was, dare she even think it, _happy._

"You laughed," he said again, holding himself above her, and she reached up to splay her hands over his smooth scalp, her thumb tracing over the shell of his ear, even as he thrust into her. "You laughed," he gasped, "when I asked you to marry me."

That had been the night they graduated, and Bella had honestly believed he had been joking, believing it had just been the stolen moments of naked skin between them. Back then she hadn't known anyone but her sisters could truly love her. And then Andromeda had left, and even that reality had failed her.

"Yes," she gasped.

He bent to rest his forehead against hers, and she watched his eyes close, as he fought his body to wait for her release, holding out for her pleasure, not his own.

"Yes, Kingsley, yes."

His eyes flicked open, and he asked, and rose to see her face better, "What?"

She pulled herself upward into a crunch, making the angle of him deeper, and he groaned, all of him fitting into all of her. Her breath was shallow as she panted, "I'm not laughing now."

She saw the whites of his eyes all around his irises, and he lost his rhythm, "Bella, do you mean-"

"Don't stop!" she commanded.

His lips descended on hers, and Kingsley claimed her as his own.

* * *

"It was him!" one of the goblins roared.

"How?" another exclaimed, "How could it have been him? We were watching him the entire time!"

"Who else would free a dragon without attempting to rob a vault?"

"When are we getting our dragon back?"

"We aren't."

"What do you mean, 'we aren't'? It's our dragon."

"The dragon conservatives say it's 'creature cruelty' to lock it underground and that if we push they will sue us for making it go blind."

"I'll show them creature cruelty."

"They named it Simon."

Silence. And then someone surmised their pickle quite eloquently.

"Bullocks."

* * *

Harry was lost in thought and abruptly pulled out of it, at the sound of Teddy crying in his sleep.

Rising from his personal desk, he went to the bed stroked back Teddy's soft hair.

"Teddy," he called, "Teddy, it's just a dream, shhh, it's just a dream."

His eyes flicked open and he bolted up so fast, Harry gasped, his entire body going on alert, and then the tears started a fresh and Teddy was sobbing in his arms.

"Shhh," Harry soothed, rubbing his son's back, "You're okay, we're safe."

Teddy cried harder.

And Harry held him closer, rocking him, and waited for the tears to slow so he could get a word in between the small boy's gasps.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, when Teddy's breathing slowed enough.

He shook his head, burying his face further into Harry's chest, "I'm scared," he mumbled.

"Of what?" Harry asked, rubbing his back, but no answer came, Teddy had fallen back into a fitful sleep.

Harry did not sleep that night, and spent all of Monday and Tuesday keeping one eye on him, but Teddy never showed any sign of distress, well except at meals when the students got too rowdy.

Wednesday, Harry reluctantly let Teddy spend the class period with Hagrid.

Shelving his worries for the time being, Harry greeted his class with a smile, "Shield charms perfecting today, wands out."

James groaned, "We know how to do shield charms."

"That's good," Harry said, smiling wider, and pointed up. "You have to the count of three."

As one, the class looked up at the boulders suspended at the ceiling.

Several students visibly paled, but some like Lily and Sirius raised their wands.

"One," Harry counted.

"He's joking? Right?" one of the other Gryffindor girls said.

"Three," Harry said, snapping his fingers and the rocks followed the path of gravity.

Several students screamed, and the students who managed shield charms only managed to cover their own person or one person beside them.

Had the rocks been real, maybe three of them would have survived.

But they weren't real, and the rocks turned into bubbles on impact.

The brown haired Gryffindor girl was on her knees on the ground, crying, as her friend beside her began to giggle hysterically and muttered to herself, "Like Sleeping Beauty."

"So, Mr. Potter," Harry asked, "Still think you've mastered shield charms?"

James looked at him as if he were a madman.

It wasn't an unhealthy assumption if Harry were honest.

"Well, had those rocks been real, most of you would be dead. So when large objects are falling on you, _using_ your shield charms in a timely manner is advisable. As soon as you saw the rocks you should have used that charm, no need to wait for my count. After all, your shields don't have a time limit. Would we like to try again?"

The class was silent.

And Harry raised a brow at them.

The Slytherins put their charms up as soon as Harry raised his wand back at the ceiling. When the rocks fell this time, they crashed against the charms, breaking more than half, but as soon as they were going to touch the students they again turned into bubbles.

"Better," Harry said, "But now let's try to merge our shields, a few of you were able to shield your neighbours, but together, you can create one large shield to guard you all."

Harry showed them the wand motions that was just additional wave, "Remember, your intention, your _will_ for the shields to connect is what shapes the magic."

By the end of class, their joint shield could have stayed off an avalanche.

* * *

Regina was a princess of the highest calibre, and all her siblings were maids, bumbling into one another for direction, of this much, Teddy was certain.

Her amber eyes narrowed on her siblings in a calculating fashion that Teddy was sure meant trouble.

"Teddy," Hagrid called, "Teddy, come here a moment, I want to show you something."

Teddy gave Regina a meaningful look, which she either acknowledged or dismissed with a flick of her tail.

Sighing like his father did in hopeless situations, Teddy skipped over to Hagrid who had something cupped in his huge, gi-mungus hands.

"What is it, Hagrid?" he asked, shifting from foot to foot.

The bearded man smiled at him, his black eyes sparkling, and he parted his hands to reveal a tiny grey shape covered in fuzz.

"A bunny?" Teddy asked, reaching out to pet it's back, his eyes widened, his hair flashing neon pink in surprise when three tiny heads looked up blindly toward him. Their eyes weren't even open yet as they tried crawling in Hagrid's palms.

Hagrid chuckled, "He's a cerberus, a three headed dog from Greece."

"He's sooo-" Teddy paused, "He's so fluffy."

Hagrid laughed, "Then that's what we'll name him, Fluffy. They stay real small for a long time, you see. Don't make it long in the wild, sometimes their mum steps on them."

Teddy looked at the puppy, horrified.

Hagrid placed the puppy in his hand, "That's why we have him, so we can raise him proper. And when he gets real big, he'll be a protector."

Teddy cuddled the little puppy to him, "We'll keep you safe, Fluffy."

The sightless puppy made a series of squeaks that sounded more like chirps before settling in his arms, drowsing in the safety he found in the humans around him.

* * *

The end of the evening found Severus in Professor Peverell's classroom with Black sitting beside him.

"Do you understand the instructions?" the too-good-looking-wizard-to-be-a-professor asked.

"Not really," Black said cheekily, "I'm still confused on the part where you expect us to work together."

Professor Peverell smiled wickedly at them, and Severus decided that if this wizard had gone to Hogwarts, he would have been sorted into Slytherin. He was far too clever at punishments.

And this was a punishment, Severus could think of nothing worse than being assigned a task where he _needed_ Black to pass.

"You two," the professor told Black slowly, "are to work together on this assignment, or I will pair you both up for every future assignment, and if you fail I will tell Professor McGonagall and Slughorn that you will not be taking your OWLs in DADA and to be held back a year."

Even Black winced at that prospect. Black had many faults, being academically stupid or weak, wasn't among them. There is no way he would let himself get held back a year.

Neither would Severus for that matter.

Which meant that they would have to figure out the old textbook on their own. It was a year four book, so technically they already knew everything from it already, but the English was old, and the instructions vague, and the name of the spells wasn't just Latin, but written in Greek. Which meant they had to discern the spells from the old English description.

It was going to take forever, and loathe as Severus was to admit it, he would need Black to perform the spells. Severus could translate the wand movements alright, but he couldn't perform a spell without knowing the outcome, Black had no such limitations.

The stupid tosser.

"Mr. Snape," the professor snapped.

He glared up at him, into his green ey- Severus blinked up at the taller wizard. His eyes were as green as Lily's. It was like they had the same eyes really, only framed with black instead of red lashes and they were behind glasses.

It was really no wonder every girl in the school fawned over him behind his back. He had long curly black hair, sharp features, a son who was at times criminally cute, but no one had the guts to flirt with him to his face. There was something odd about Professor Peverell, something disconnected -or maybe it was just the power he gave off. He used magic like the rest of them breathed air, and more and more frequently, everyone was noticing how seldom he used his wand.

So yes, he was every schoolgirl's crush, but he was also a fantasy, not someone you should ever pursue.

"Mr. Snape," he said again.

"Yeah, yeah, work with Black, share the work, got it."

Professor Peverell smiled, as if he knew how much it cost both of them to be civil to one another.

Severus exchanged a look with Black, who offered a shrug and pulled out his wand. Severus looked at the book and tried to tune out the professor's son describing his day with the groundskeeper and a puppy named Fluffy.

An hour later, they had gotten through three pages, three spells. But it was weirdly rewarding work, like deciphering a puzzle. And Black, surprisingly, wasn't so bad without his friends.

Black laughed, "I know that says six flicks, but still."

Severus rolled his eyes, but even he couldn't stop his lips from twitching. Spelling wasn't that great three hundred years ago.

"You two can switch to your homework for my class then you may leave," Professor Peverell called from behind his desk, where he was sitting on the floor building a Lego castle with his son.

"He's kind of cool," Black whispered, as he reached into his bag with a sigh of relief.

Severus was thinking the same, not many professors would have let them finish homework during detention. "He's the best professor we've had in DADA," he said in a low voice.

Black nodded, then he asked, "You're not going to tell anyone what our detention was like, are you?"

 _No,_ Severus thought bitterly, because _Merlin forbid anyone hears that Sirius Black got along with a Slytherin -even out of necessity._ "I don't know what you're talking about," he said aloud, "We were just doing lines in silence."

Black nodded, and Severus would like to have said they didn't speak a word after that, but the essay prompt was difficult and despite themselves, they find themselves exchanging advice and questions.

Afterwards, Severus was one hundred percent sure that Professor Peverell was the most dangerous person in the school.

* * *

AN: I feel like the fly in the Emperor's New Groove, the spider being grad school. Reactions, thoughts for your mentally regressing author surviving off of pixie dust and belief?


	9. Giving a Flying

CONTENT WARNING: I explore an idea for the reason why I have never and will never redeem Wormtail. I apologize for even alluding to the possibility of it, but yeah, for this one character, just no.

Chapter 9 - Giving a Flying Fuck

Harry sighed, last week he had had his sixth and seventh years go through material from year one through four. But today? How they had passed their OWLs he would never know.

"Homework for this week, I want a brief description of each and every spell from the fifth and sixth year textbooks. You don't need to write in full sentences, but I will expect you to be able to perform each spell in class next week. Anyone who fails to cast 70 percent of the spells correctly will be moved down to the sixth year class."

"You can't do that!" A Slytherin protested.

Harry narrowed his eyes on the girl who had spoken, and realized that it was Dolores Umbridge. He knew his smile was less than pleasant when he said, "This is a NEWT class, I will not hold back the other students because some failed to learn previously covered material."

"But we need to pass our exams!" one Ravenclaw student yelled.

"And my sixth years will be able to pass, but the seventh year DADA is more than passing a test. The material covered in this class can end or save lives, and performed incorrectly can do as much harm to the caster as to those around them. This is an issue of safety. I realize your previous professors were less than stellar, but nonetheless, I will not teach a NEWT class as a review class."

Sure, this was Harry's first year teaching this, but when Hermione took the NEWT she had said it had been a bit of joke. The essay questions had been decently challenging but the spells not so much. Harry wanted this group of students to be a team, and ready for the war ahead of them.

He was worried that some of the students might become killers, yes, but this class, like his sixth and first years, was a mix of all four houses.

What if he could change the nature of their differences? Hadn't he and Draco made amends when their lives had been threatened together? If he could just ask more of them, expect more of them, couldn't they change?

"But what if our classes don't line up-"

"Then you will drop this class," Harry declared. "And don't glare at me, you have to have at least received seventy percent on your OWLs in order to receive an Acceptable. And if you didn't at least scrap that then you shouldn't be taking this subject." _You should be taking a running course and perfect apparition._

"And how do you know?" another student griped, "You didn't even take the tests."

"No," Harry agreed, "I read the teacher manual." Dumbledore had sent it with the stack of textbooks.

The bell rang and the class departed looking worried.

Harry sighed, sinking into his seat behind his desk.

"Daddy?"

He peaked an open at his son, "Hmmm?"

"Will they listen to you?"

"I don't know."

Teddy frowned down at his picture book, "They should. You're always right."

"Not always," he said, ruffling Teddy's pink curls.

"But you can keep them safe."

Harry smiled weakly, "I'm trying, Teddy, I'm trying."

Teddy stood, placing his book down gently on the desk, and gave his father a hug.

Harry hugged him back tightly, so grateful that he wasn't alone.

"Daddy?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can we adopt Fluffy."

"No."

"But Daddy-"

"No."

Teddy pulled back and pouted, "But he's sooo fluff-"

"Didn't you just say I was always right?"  
"But you said you weren't always right."

"We are not adopting a giant three-headed dog. No, absolutely no."

"He's tiny, Daddy."

"Teddy-"

It was a long debate, but eventually, Harry won by saying that Regina would have her feelings hurt.

* * *

After dinner, Harry half wanted to give Peter's detention to Filch and be done with it. But perhaps, like with Severus and a few of the other Slytherins, there was a light to be redirected in hopes that they would find a better way.

But Harry soon discovered that not only was there something deeply disturbed about Mr. Pettigrew, but he also had the unsettling feeling that it wasn't safe to have Teddy in the same room as the short-breathed, rat-like fifteen year old. His eyes kept darting to Teddy who was attempting to build the tallest Lego tower he could. And it wasn't just that he was distracted, or his eyes drifting toward the small child, there was something -something that made Harry want to smash his head into the table.

Harry fought back bile as he thought of the thirty-year-old man living with the Weasley children, living with the other boys in the dorms. It was true that he couldn't have transformed without a wand, but he would have had access to others wands when everyone was asleep.

Perhaps, it was what the boy would become, and perhaps Harry was a bastard for holding his future actions against him, but no part of Harry liked or trusted him. Strange how Harry had more sympathies for Bellatrix than Wormtail. But the Black sisters were not traitors, they were just varying shades of crazy. And though the Bellatrix he had met in this timeline was massively unstable, she wasn't the madwoman whose favourite curse was the Cruciatus.

"If your eyes leave that textbook one more time, Mr. Pettigrew," he said darkly, "you will be scrubbing floors with Mr. Filch over the weekend."

"Yes, sir," Peter said, ducking his head.

Harry had him rewriting the textbook, he had the option of either rewriting it word for word or in his own words. It was like doing lines, with the off chance that he might learn something. He likely wasn't and was likely too dimwitted to realize he could use the opportunity to study and take notes.

Harry had been grading others papers, like he had last night after Teddy had recounted his day. But watching Wormtail in his youth was a bit like watching Tom Riddle in Dumbledore's Pensieve in sixth year.

The seventh time Wormtail eyes strayed to Teddy, his entire face rose, not just the eye flicks.

"Get out," Harry said in low voice.

Wormtail gave him a worried look, "Sir, I'm just bored, I don't mean to be distracted."

"Get out," Harry said more forcefully, "Report to Filch before heading back to your dorm, tell him you have detention with him over the weekend."

"But I didn't do anything!" Peter exclaimed.

Harry said nothing, meeting the boy's gaze, and Peter's eyes held for only a moment before flicking to Teddy who was now hiding behind Harry's desk.

Harry went around his desk, and stood in front of the teenager, whose act of timidness, was just that, an act. An act to get those around to believe him harmless, to take pity on him. "Be careful, Mr. Pettigrew." The unsaid words, _I'll be watching you,_ hung unsaid between them.

Peter ducked his head and said meekly, "Of course, Professor." And then he scurried out of the room.

Harry stood in the center of his near-empty classroom and wondered if he had overreacted. He probably had, and he probably shouldn't have given him extra dentition. He hadn't been in the room for more than thirty minutes before Harry had lost his nerve.

"I don't like him," Teddy said from his desk.

Harry turned to see his son's face set in as grim an expression as he had ever seen on his small features.

"Neither do I, avoid him, please? Not everyone at Hogwarts is a good person."

Teddy nodded, "I promise."

And with that Harry wondered if he shouldn't have done more. What if there was something really wrong with Pettigrew? At what point did a child become evil? Or were children not evil, just their actions? What if he was like Tom Riddle? What if Harry did nothing and something terrible happened?

Again, Harry worried that he was overreacting about Wormtail. Hadn't it been Sirius who had nearly killed Snape by way of werewolf at the end of this very year?

But in his gut, he felt that Severus and Sirius could change, could be better than the people they had been, but he had no such inclinations of hope for Mr. Pettigrew.

Harry decided he would keep a close eye on him. He flinched internally, that had been Dumbledore's tactic with Tom Riddle, and that hadn't turned out well, not at all. He wondered if he should tell Dumbledore or Minerva about his worries.

He rolled his eyes at himself, tell them what? A student gave his son a funny look? Everyone looked at Teddy, he was an adorable child of the new professor, and he was also a metamorphmagus with the habit of turning rainbow.

But perhaps, as he was a professor now, their equal, his opinions might have more value than they had when he had been a student. After all, if Harry couldn't act on his knowledge of the future, then his great-great-great-something-grandfather-Peverell would be disappointed.

* * *

"What exactly are you saying, Professor Peverell?" Minerva asked him the next day. He had caught her at the end of the day before she left her office.

Teddy was with Hagrid, learning to help bottle feed Fluffy.

Harry sighed, "I am simply expressing my concern for the other students."

"Mr. Pettigrew is hardly a danger to anyone, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black are far more trouble, I assure you."

Harry gritted his teeth, "I am not asking you to do anything, Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House. I'm just hoping you will keep your eyes open around him. You're right, of course, it could be nothing, a thoughtless boy with an attention problem, a regular teenage boy."

"But?" she prompted.

"But I don't believe he is the timid innocent he pretends to be."

Minerva sighed, "Thank you for -informing me of your worries, Rell. I will be observant."

Harry sighed, "Thank you."

She looked at him oddly, "You really care, don't you?"

He raised a brow, "Care about what?"

"The students. Their safety."

He frowned, "Of course, I'm a professor."

She smiled, "Indeed, I will see you at dinner then."

* * *

James was infuriated. Yes, Professor Peverell was a good professor.

But he was also an asshat.

What business did he have giving Wormtail more detention on the weekend? Over what? Wormtail hadn't been gone an hour when he said the professor had passed him off to Flitch.

And here James was, missing Quidditch tryouts, and subsequently the first Quidditch practice.

He had naturally made the team, his captain had him 'tryout' yesterday, but still, he was going to miss seeing the poor sods who thought they could fly and miss working with the new team.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, glad you could make it," Professor Peverell said jovially.

James glared at him, "Like you gave me a choice." And then on impulse, he said, "You know my family descended from the Peverells as well."

His green eyes did the Dumbledore twinkle as if he knew something James' didn't. "As I'm told, many of the pureblood lines are connected in some respect."

James shrugged, "So what is it today? Lines? Or are you sending me to Filch too."

Peverell came around the table and handed James the fourth year book, his small son followed at his heels.

James wondered what was wrong with the kid, yes he was cute and all, but he was pretty quiet. Not that he had much experience with little kids, but all the kids he'd seen around his age were always babbling and getting into trouble.

Teddy Peverell was very, contained.

Remus said the same werewolf that had attacked him had gone after his Aunt Naomi. Had her son inherited any of that moon curse? It seemed unlikely though, seeing as Naomi Lupin had only been scared, she hadn't been turned like Remus.

"What do you want me to do with this?" James asked, "Rewrite the book?"

"Nope," Peverell said, picking up his son in a smooth motion. "I would like you to teach us the spells from that book."

James blinked at him, "You want me to do what?"

"You know the spells in that book, don't you?" he asked and at James' nod, "Then it shouldn't be too difficult to teach someone how to do those spells should it."

"But you already know them," he said, feeling his impatience grow. Peverell didn't have all his marbles, and he seemed to like to waste people's time.

"I don't!" Teddy said cheerfully.

"See you can teach Teddy, he's a good listener."

The small boy looked up at his father adoringly, with a proud smile at the compliment he had just received.

"He's three," James protested, exasperated.

"Which means you'll have to explain the spells in simple terms. If you can't explain a subject to a child than you don't really know that subject."

"Fine," he said, taking the book and going to the chalkboard. He turned in time to see Peverell sit on the floor with his son on his lap.

A professor in crisp black robes should have looked ridiculous sitting on the ground, but with Teddy, he just looked like a personable dad.

Though James's his father or his grandfather would ever sit on the ground in public. His mother might have though.

James opened the book and found a spell at random, "Aqua Eructo Charm," he read. Then froze looking at the board then had at his patiently awaiting audience. "Err-" His mind had suddenly gone blank, he knew how to use the spell, he didn't how to explain it. He looked down at the spell's description and knew that Professor Peverell wouldn't accept him just reading from the book, and this particular book wouldn't make any sense whatsoever to Teddy.

A light sweat built at his spine, which was ridiculous, James Potter had never had stage fright in his life.

But he didn't know what to say, and standing before his professor, his words were stuck in his throat. He felt like anything he did say would be stupid

After a minute Peverell took pity on him, "Just start talking. You're just practising. Tell us what you think this spell is good for and anything you find interesting about it."

James took a deep breath and began talking out of his butt.

And despite James' every conviction, he began to really like Professor Rell, who laughed when he said something truly out of bounds and corrected kindly when he said something a bit off.

In two hours, James felt like he had mastered some of last year's material.

Professor Rell must have seen the thought on his face, because he said, "One of the best ways to learn is to teach."

James smirked, "So you're still learning."

"Of course," the professor said without hesitation. "Mr. Potter, the essay I assigned you to read about summoning charms."

"Yes?" James asked, missing the obvious trap.

"You don't have to write it."

"Awesome!"

Peverell smiled, "I would like you to teach the class how to perform the spell."

James excitement instantly turned to horror. Talking to the professor and his son was one thing, but teaching the entire class? If he messed up, even a little bit, the entire class would hold it against him.

"And I will correct you as your presenting, so I suggest you practice."

"Professor I'm not sure-"

"Not sure of what?"

He swallowed, "I mean you already gave me detention. I'm not sure-"

"That the punishment fits the crime?" Professor Peverell, pausing as he organized the papers on his desk. He looked at him with eyes a startling shade of green.

Eyes that looked a lot Lily's. The thought of Lily made him more determined to talk his way out of this assignment.

"Mr. Potter, you attacked a student in my class, and encouraged your friends to do so as well."

"Why do you think it was me who encouraged them?"

"Because Mr. Pettigrew is far too cowardly to act alone, and I've met Mr. Black's family. I don't believe he thinks of the possibility of being expelled the same way you do."

James flushed, Sirius certainly would hate being expelled, but Sirius was hardly more innocent than he was. "Sirius is just as much trouble as I am, being a Black doesn't lessen that."

"No, Mr. Potter, but I believe it is foolish of you to not realize the power you hold over your friends."

James felt anger raise in the pit of his gut, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, to stay friends with you, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, and Mr. Pettigrew might do things that make them uncomfortable and they might be a bit afraid to tell you if they uncomfortable."

"That's not true," James snarled, "You don't know anything about us. My friends make fun of me all the time."

"I am sure your friends joke with you, Mr. Potter, but how often do they tell you, without levity, that they disagree with you."

James frowned, "My friends don't disagree with me, that's why we are friends." And as the words left his mouth, he realized what Professor Rell was trying to explain to him.

"I cannot speak for Mr. Black, but I know some of the choices you've made have made my nephew Remus uncomfortable. Evident by the fact that he did not attack Mr. Snape on your behalf."

James felt heat rush to his cheeks as he thought of how Moony had been. You're distancing himself from them for the last two weeks. And how, instead of trying to breach that gap, James had picked at him a bit, waiting for Moony to apologize for not standing up to his uncle.

"Have a good weekend, Mr. Potter, I look forward to your presentation at the start of class next week."

James nodded, lost in thought, leaving at the dismissal.

"Bye James!" Teddy called.

"Bye Teddy," he said on autopilot.

He kept turning over what the professor said, that his friends didn't think about being expelled the same way he did. James didn't want to be expelled, he really didn't, but being sent home wasn't the same as Sirius having to go home. And it was one of Remus's worst nightmares, heck, it was one of his family's worst nightmares. And as loathe as he was to admit it, they did take some pranks too far. He took pranks too far.

James felt sick to his stomach, he suddenly felt like the worst friend on the planet.

* * *

Finding Rell alone was a near impossibility, and this week he had been especially distracted.

Of course, Poppy had been keeping Narcissa pretty busy as it was. Healing magic wasn't so much hard, as it was time-consuming. Like her father had warned, the senior Healer had her brewing rudimentary balms and potions. Even still, she felt accomplished when she realized how many of those simple stores the school went through in two weeks.

But tonight, Narcissa was determined to find Rell, even if Teddy was with him, she wanted to make it clear that she was interested. And her resolve only increased at every flirtatious glance he gave her.

She had let Lucius walk away, she wouldn't let another man do so. Not one who made her blood flame and her heart soar.

And happily, she managed to find him alone in his office on a Tuesday afternoon.

"Where's the handsome one," she asked.

He looked up with a smirk twitching the corners of his lips, "Mr. Rainbow is with Hagrid and his menagerie of fantastical creatures." He shook his head, "I feel like I should start paying Hagrid soon."

Silently, Narcissa locked the door as she came further into his classroom. There were thankfully no spying portraits in the room. "You better not, I think you would insult him. I've never seen him so happy, well aside from that time I was a first year and Dumbledore acquired three new thestral fillies."

Rell sighed, "I suppose you're right. Though forgive me for saying so, but I'm surprised you noticed that."

She shrugged, "I notice most things, whether I care or not is another matter."

"Naturally," he said with a smile, as he shuffled a pile of paper into his case.

She was in front of his desk now, her heart racing. She had been engaged to Lucius before graduating, she had never attempted to pursue a man, until now.

"Is there something you wanted, Ms. Black?" he asked, coming around the desk to stand beside her.

 _You. I want you,_ she wanted to say but the words caught on her tongue.

At almost six feet tall, he was more than a foot taller than she. And so it was he who got to make the first move, bending down as he asked, "Ms. Black, are you alright?"

Boldy, wordlessly, she placed a hand at the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

His lips were soft, gentle, but far from uncertain as they tasted her. She arched into him and his arms came around to hold her.

She came alive in his arms, no thought of what she should be doing, who she should be; she was where she should be and she was herself, nothing else mattered.

She ran a hand over his dark hair, pulling the green ribbon from it, the wild mass sprang around his face. Wild, thick, and soft, she combed her fingers through it, eliciting a groan of pleasure from him.

Narcissa decided right then and there to take her mother's advice and the accusation she had thrown at her. If she wanted a man she needed to go all the way, to give him everything, in a way she hadn't done with Lucius.

But despite Rell's obvious enjoyment of the kiss, he wasn't taking liberties. He kept one hand on her hip, and one on her back.

Quite the gentleman.

So she rocked her pelvis against the front of him, and even through his robes and her layered skirts, she felt him.

But instead of heating things up to the next level, Rell gasped, pulling back from her, breaking the kiss.

His eyes were bright, his cheeks flushed as smiled at her, "Narcis-"

She slid her palm over him.

He caught her wrist, his smile vanishing as if it had never been, "Ms. Black, I'm afraid I must say good night."

Worry and shame filled her, "Rell-"

He shook his head, taking a step back from her, and turned his back on her.

She lurched forward and caught his sleeve, "Rell, please, I'm- I like you."

He half turned to her, a single dark brow raised.

Damn her, but was he handsome, even more so with his dark hair framing his fine features. He was very male but there was also a beauty to his face. A beauty that entranced, that betokened her like a mystery waiting to be learnt.

"And you thought what?" he asked finally. "That we would fuck in my classroom?"

She flinched at the harsh wording. And felt her temper ice her skin, so he was going to shame her for having needs. He was going to claim the moral high ground and belittle her, because Merlin forbid a witch make the first move.

She released him, straightening her spine and before she could retort with something lashing, he answered his own question.

"I am not a piece of meat. I am not a one night's distraction to be tossed aside the next. I like you too, Ms. Black, but I would want you for more than that." And with that he left, the locking charm she placed on the door not slowing him for an instant.

She sank into one of the desk seats, feeling like a fool. She had judged him wrong, assumed he would have been like any other man. Had she tried that on Lucius, he would have been over the moon. He would have taken her over the desk, and whatever her sister's had done would have meant little to him.

But Rell? Rell was more than raised manners and imagined honour, he was honourable. And from what she could infer from his words, she wasn't the first woman to try to throw themselves at him.

Narcissa buried her face in her hands, wishing more than anything else that Andromeda was there, that she could run to her older sister and have her explain what was the right thing to do. Andromeda had always known right from wrong.

* * *

AN: I don't think what Narcissa did was wrong, just combined with this Harry's past, he was not game. Remember that he lost his last job because of a woman coming on to him. The circumstances are much different here, but still.

Thoughts, reactions, requests, prayers for the grad student applying for jobs and on spring break?


	10. The Northern Star

Chapter 10 - The Northern Star

Bella's father had been overjoyed about her engagement to Kingsley, her mother less so. Kingsley Shacklebolt was terribly close to being a blood traitor, but he was too powerful a wizard, too well connected, and of course, he was the last heir to one of the Sacred-Twenty Eight lines.

If she wanted to marry a pureblood of wealth and status, her parents would not stop her.

Kingsley own family was gone, but he had someone else in mind to 'approve' their engagement.

"No."

"She's my best friend, Bells."

"No, she betrayed us."

"She fell in love."

"No."

Kingsley cupped her face in his large hands, "You miss her, it is a wound on your heart that bleeds anew every day. Do you truly care what other people think of you enough to never see her again."

"I will be cast out of the family."

"You will be a Shacklebolt, and I never stopped being Andromeda's friend. Bella, you haven't even met her baby, she's three years old now."

Bella's heart hurt, "Kingsley…"

"Bells. She will be at the wedding. She will be a part of my life. And you can either go apologize to her now, or let her steal your thunder at the wedding."

She gritted her teeth, it went against everything she had been raised to be to forgive, and to ask for forgiveness?

But she wanted to see her again, she wanted to run with Andromeda when she left, mudblood or no.

If Kingsley was her rock, her Earth grounding her, Andromeda was her north star.

So she took Kingsley proffered hand and decided to do what she had been longing to do for years.

She followed her stars.

* * *

Andromeda Tonks was not particularly rejoiceful at being a housewife. But Nymphadora was starting to get older now which meant more outings. It was a bit sad that she had to spell her daughter's features into brown hair, pale skin, and tawny eyes. But it was worth it in the long wrong.

Rain or shine, Andromeda would take her daughter to the seashore. They would play in the sand, play tag with the waves, and when no one was looking, Andromeda would stretch her magic shifting the waves and the winds.

She loved her life, her daughter, her husband, even if living in the muggle world sometimes felt suffocating, even if not seeing her sisters, not knowing if they were okay, killed a part of her.

So it was briefest moments of relief, of adoration, that she opened her door to see Bella hesitating on her stoop.

"Mama! Is Papa home early!?" Nymphadora called, running into the back of Andromeda's legs.

Andromeda pulled her wand, and stepped in front of her daughter, in the process knocking her over.

She went down with a soft omf on her butt, but she didn't cry. No, the only times her daughter ever let out a sound of pain was when something landed on her. The poor girl spent most of her days falling over her own feet. Everything in the house, every lamp and bookshelf was spelled with a sticking charm for a good reason.

"I will kill you," Andromeda said in a low voice to her sister.

Bella didn't look the least bit perturbed by her threat, though she did look nervous about speaking.

Surprisingly, it was Kingsley who defused the situation, coming up behind Bella and wrapping an arm around her waist. "We come in peace."

Andromeda stared at them, then saw the ring on her sister's finger. But she waited for Bella to speak before she lowered her wand.

Seeming to know that, Bella said, "I'm sorry, alright. I hate the choice you made but you're still mine."

As apologies went, that sucked. "If you raise a finger, a wand, or spell at my daughter, my husband, or any of the muggles I will end you."

Bella rolled her eyes, "Fine."

Sheathing her wand, Andromeda turned and picked up her daughter, who had been waiting impatiently with arms crossed, pouting at being ignored.

"Bella this is my daughter Nymphadora, Nymphadora, this is your Aunt Bellatrix."

Nymphadora looked at the near identical copy of her mother and easily replicated her features and held out her arms, "Aunt Bellati!"

Bella held out her arms for the child, smiling, she hadn't thought she liked children but if they were all as cute as her niece and Peverell's son, she might reconsider. "That's what Teddy called me, Bellati."

"Who's Teddy?" Nymphadora asked, as Andromeda reluctantly passed over her daughter, again reaching for her wand.

"He's the son of a professor at Hogwarts, he's your age and guess what else?"

"What?" the girl asked, eyes bright.

"He's a metamorphmagus just like you," Bella said, tapping the tip of her nose playfully.

Andromeda's heart skipped. She felt like she had just fallen down a rabbit hole. One, her sister was her being _kind_ to her daughter but she had just confirmed a dream of her three-year-old daughter had a few weeks ago.

"He's my friend!" Nymphadora twisted to see her, "Teddy's my friend, Mama!"

Bella grinned, not understanding the significance of what had just happened. "I'm sure the professor would like you to be friends with his son. He's a very good wizard. He saved me from an attack when we first met."

"You were attacked?" Andromeda asked, drawn from her thoughts, fury raising at anyone who would dare hurt one of her sisters.

"I-" her voice broke, and very-un-Bella-like she looked ashamed, "I made some mistakes."

Andromeda couldn't stand the hurt on her face, and pulled her sister into her arms. She might have been older but Bella had always been Andromeda's to tend. Bella seemed to slump in her arms, Nymphadora hugging her aunt tight between them. The little girl said warmly, "It's okay, Aunt Bellati, everyone makes mistakes, we still love you."

Bella buried her face in her sister's neck, and only the feel of wet droplets, let Andromeda know she was crying.

She echoed her daughter's words, "It's okay, you're safe, Bella, you're safe now."

Kingsley smiled at her over Bella's shoulder and mouthed the words, "Thank you."

Andromeda mouthed back, "You crazy fucker."

He grinned, his smile dazzling and ruining his stoic demeanour as only love could.

Andromeda decided he was doomed, but feeling her sister crying in her arms, she felt hope, hope that there was someone there who could be loved and love in turn.

* * *

Harry stopped trying to make eye contact with the beautiful Ms. Black. After reviewing on his actions, later on, he felt a bit bad about how harsh he had been. But he would not apologize. He had been used by everyone who had ever seemed to think well of him, well, except for Hermione and Sirius. But the others…

Fame was not all it was cracked up to be. Even Ginny…

Hell, maybe he had been fooling himself, maybe he had always been the Boy-Who-Lived to her. He would never forget the words she had thrown in his face when he had said he was taking Teddy and leaving the wizarding world.

She hadn't understood that his son had become the most important thing in the world to him. Nor had she understood what finding Andromeda's lifeless body had done to him.

 _You've seen bodies before, and what was she to you? She was Bellatrix Lestrange's sister._

Andromeda had been Harry's second chance, his start to independence and having a future and a family beyond the war he had been born to. She had needed him as much as Teddy had. And that need, not born of fear but kinship, had been everything to him, _everything_.

Finding her gone, finding her dead when he let himself believe that the dying seasons were over, had broken something vital inside of him.

He had failed her, and it was something he would never forgive himself for.

 _She_ had been so afraid, he should have done more, asked more questions, gone after the Dark Lord who had murdered her and his parents. She had come to him, married him, trusted him to take care of her, even when she had her brother who would have welcomed her with open arms.

Naomi and he should have had long and happy future together.

Harry shook himself, and if wasn't for Teddy asleep in the bed he would have punched something.

The damn memories, the memories that were and weren't his slipped in, overwriting his past in ways he could not have foreseen.

Henry had been a librarian, with no friends, and an inventor of spells.

Harry had been a child soldier, smouched of his friend's bookish ways, and had only dabbled inventing spells.

They seemed to have the same power level, the same looks, the same toxic relationship with their foster families. But they weren't the same person. And yet, Harry remembered reading books he had never touched before, and he missed Hermione hardly at all. As for his spell work…

He had been good at wandless magic before time travelling. Now? Now, he didn't even know when he was using magic, he just did.

Dumbledore was starting to take closer notice of him, all the other professors were really.

He sighed and went back to grading papers. Whatever or whoever was doing this to him, would find him eventually, it always did.

He looked at his small son, spread eagle in the center of the bed under a mass of blankets. Harry would let the entire world burn before he let it fall on Teddy.

This brought his thoughts back to Narcissa, the taste and feel of her lips on his. Between the two, he would always choose Teddy. If she approached him again, he needed to make that clear. He wouldn't risk bringing someone into Teddy's life who didn't want to be a part of both their lives. Harry couldn't afford to give his heart to someone who didn't plan on staying.

He just didn't have enough heart left to be broken again.

* * *

"What do you mean, you went to go see Andromeda?" Narcissa asked, pissed, but probably not for the reasons Bella thought.

"I went to go see Andromeda, Kingsley insisted."

"Shacklebolt? What does he have to do with anything?"

"We are getting married."

"You're what?" Narcissa asked, her voice sharp.

Bella sighed, "Kingsley and I are getting married." She flashed her ring, which Narcissa kicked herself for missing.

"And you told Andromeda before you told me," she stated coldly.

Bella nodded warily.

"Does Father know? I know you weren't foolish enough to tell Mother."

"They both know I'm getting married to Kingsley, neither knows that I went to see Andromeda and Nymphadora."

 _Nymphadora_. Narcissa felt a flash of guilt spark through her. How awful was it that she had never even met her own niece?

"How did you and Kingsley even get back together?"

"The day I went to the Aurors about the Dark Lord," she began before stating bluntly, "I fucked him in his office."

Narcissa felt as if some cosmic joke had just played on her. Bella finds true love and she, Narcissa, gets turned down the first time she tries giving herself away. She took in a sharp breath, hadn't she just been wishing that Andromeda was back in her life a few days ago? Feeling reckless, she marched out of her apartment at Hogwarts.

Bella skipped to catch up, her dark hair flowing behind her. Bella was nuts, but she was beautiful, and Shacklebolt was one of the only wizards she knew of strong enough to take care of her.

Rell probably could have handled her too. For a moment she saw red at the very idea of Bella and Rell. He was hers, and though she had no right to feel that possessive, she had never wanted anything as much as she wanted to be a part of his life.

He had taken one shot at her heart and aimed true. Maybe she was being young and foolish, but she had never met anyone like him. Never met a man who valued family the way she did.

She knew of no other man who would respond to her wish to become a housewife and say not 'I support that' but 'I want that too.'

She was wealthy enough for the both of them if he wanted to give up teaching, though by all accounts he was a brilliant teacher. But she- She was fantasising, and she had blown her chance with Rell.

Taking Bella's hand she began to drag her from the room.

"Cissy? Where are we going?"

"Andromeda, if you can go see her, so can I. And what Mother doesn't know won't hurt us."

In a handful of minutes, Bella apparated them to Andromeda's home. Fuelled by a cold fury she struck the door harder than she needed to.

But when Andromeda opened the door, she froze, it had been so long, even longer since all three of them had been together. Narcissa launched herself into her arms, and Andromeda held her tight.

Narcissa didn't cry but her heart felt like it was in a vice.

Bella came up behind her, and they hugged like used to when they had been so young. So young that they hadn't known a world outside the bubble their family had existed in.

* * *

Lily had never liked a professor as much as she liked Professor Rell. He could be a little crazy sometimes, like dropping boulders on their head, teaching first years to cast seventh years spells, or having James Fricken Potter teach them a spell.

James, to his credit, had managed a decent presentation though the Slytherin side, and she herself, was glad when Professor Rell furthered the explanation. It wasn't a completely humiliating experience, nothing anyone would gossip about. Quite the opposite, James Potter had done something spectacularly unremarkable.

But today, Lily finally got the gumption up to ask him her questions after class.

Of course, as she waiting for the class to file out, Sev giving her a small smile as he left, Hagrid, the half-giant came in with Teddy's son skipping at his side, chatting animatedly.

It seemed to be that only with Hagrid did the boy acted his age. All her mom's friends' babies were much -louder than Teddy.

Professor Rell greeted his son with a hug and the half-giant with an open and brilliant smile.

In that instant, he reminded Lily unnervingly of James Potter, so much so that she almost disliked him a bit for it.

But that was just her survival instinct kicking in, anything Potter was meant to be avoided.

"Ms. Evans," the professor called as Hagrid waved goodbye, ruffling the little boy's hair before he left.

"Ah, hi, professor, I was, I had some questions," she got out, wondering why Teddy always sat out of their class. According to the seventh years Teddy sat through their classes even when the professor had them practising stunners.

He apparently was a joy to have in class. The girls who weren't enchanted by the handsome and powerful professor, were won over by the little boy. Even the boys in the class wouldn't deny how cute Teddy Peverell was, and as she watched him grab a picture book, Lily found herself asking, "Can he really read?"

Professor Rell smiled, "Some of the books I read on repeat he remembers, but those books are a little high level for a three year old."

"I can read!" Teddy protested.

He smiled at his son but didn't argue with him.

Lily smiled too and then she asked the question she wanted to ask since the first class, "Is DADA just like a charms class, but you know for defence."

Professor Rell smiled and sat back on his desk, "Yes and no."

She cocked her head, "How do you mean yes and how no?"

"Well, certainly, many of DADA spells are charms, shield charms, Patronus charm, and disarming charms. However, hexes, counter-curses, and curses, are, at least in part, the Dark Arts."

Her eyes went wide, "But-"

He shook his heads, "There is a reason this class is titled Defense Against the Dark Arts, rather than just defense class. Most DADA spells are simply standards Dark Art spells, spells with predictable outcomes, spells whose greatest function _is_ defence or undoing a Dark Arts spell. But Ms. Evans, what I want you to keep in mind is that a spell, any spell, should be judged on its means, its intention, and its use. All magic can be dangerous, accidents _do_ happen."

"But the Dark Arts are-"

"In their majority intended to do harm at a great cost, but not all."

"But-"

He smiled, "What is the stinging jinx intended to do?"

"Cause pain, but that's nothing like the unforgivable!"

He nodded, "Ms. Evans, I believe you have the correct judgement to answer you own questions about what is and isn't dark arts and under what circumstances."

She pressed her lips together but couldn't argue, so she asked another question, "Does it help to know what kind of spell each DADA spell is?"

"Of course, why do you think I assign homework?"

She blushed, "Right, um, thanks. Bye Professor Rell, bye Teddy."

"Have a good afternoon, Ms. Evans," echoed by Teddy's, "Bye Evanses!"

She left feeling as if she had just had her questions answered with questions, and the strangest sense that she knew Professor Rell from before Hogwarts.

* * *

"Spill," Andromeda ordered after dinner.

Nymphadora and Bellatrix were chatting animatedly in the living room, Ted Tonks smiling at them both as he read the Healer's Journal in a plush chair.

Narcissa looked up from where she was putting away the dishes, having to do it without magic as she didn't know yet where the correct places for the dishes were. She sighed, "How do you always know? It's been years."

"You aren't that hard to read if you know what to look for. So what is wrong?"

Narcissa sighed again, "I screwed up, with a wizard."

Andromeda made a face, "Malfoy wasn't good enough for you. Pretty yes, but good? He was completely undeserving."

"No, not Malfoy, Rell, Henry Peverell. He is the DADA professor at Hogwarts."

Andromeda turned off the water and turned to lean against the counter, "And why isn't this boy eating out of your hands?"

Narcissa flushed, "Man, not boy. He, he has son, Nymphadora's age actually."

Andromeda's eyebrows shot up, "Teddy, right? He's a metamorphmagus too."

She raised her pale brows in response, "How-?"

"Aside from making it into the Prophet, Bella mentioned Peverell saving her. So I'm assuming he's a wizard worth his wand?"

Narcissa let out a long breath, "And then some. Dromeda, he's everything- everything I ever told myself I wanted."

"Soo?" Andromeda drawled, "What did you do?"

"I -er, I," she took in a steadying breath, "I offered him sex and he all but threw me out."

Andromeda was silent for a long moment.

And Narcissa snapped, "Bella tried that and she's getting married."

"Kingsley," Andromeda said, her voice gentle, "doesn't have a son. Was Peverell married?"

She nodded, "He's a widower. His wife was Naomi Lupin."

"Do you want a one night stand with him, or a fling for the season?"

"No!" she exclaimed, then lowered her voice, "no, I want to try for something lasting."

"Then try, ask him out on a date. Go out with him, if you like his son, take the boy with you. Children aren't always great for romance, but if he turned you down for a physical relation than perhaps that's not the kind romance he wants, not immediately anyway. You need to get to know him, and his son, and they need to get to know you."

"I don't just want to be friends."

"No, but if you want something lasting, you will have to base your relationship on more than mutual attraction."

"How do you know it is mutual?"

Andromeda gave her a look, "Unless he's gay, it is mutual. And if it wasn't mutual you wouldn't be interested. You _like_ being admired, can you honestly tell me he hasn't admired you? Shown you with a glance that he sees you?"

Narcissa blushed. Rell had shown her that with his lips, with the reverent way he put his hands on her, however… "He turned me down."

"He has a son, Narcissa. Being protective of his son's well being, his emotional wellness, is not something you fault him on."

Narcissa rubbed her cheek, hating the heat she found there, "I messed up."

Andromeda took her hands in hers, "If it was meant to be then you haven't messed up. The very act of reaching out to him again shows him that you care, that you want to _try._ "

She hugged her older sister for a second time that evening, "I missed you, so very much."

Andromeda held her back, "I missed you too, more than you will ever know."

Narcissa doubted that, unlike Andromeda, Narcissa and Bella needed her, needed their Northern Star to guide them.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, suggests, or puppies?


	11. More than That

_The Fellowship of the Evenstar_ , I believe is the best fanfiction I have ever written and my main focus. But today, I had a chapter idea come to me for this story.

Beta: Thank you Ahrnberg!

Chapter 11 - More than That

"He isn't going after the Dark Lord," Ronan said in disgust.

"Of course he isn't," Firenze huffed, "That would put his son at risk."

Bane bared his blocky teeth, "Then perhaps we should dispose of the child. It would be regrettable, but it would save so man-"

"No!" several other centaur voices called out.

"What?" Bane continued, "It hangs around the edge of the Forest often enough."

Ronan grimaced, "We wouldn't make it past Hagrid, and even if we did, the teachers of that castle would fall upon us like a plague."

"Plague?" Firenze repeated outraged, "It isn't the teachers we would have to worry about. Harry Potter would kill us all."

"And slowly," added Glenna, a female centaur who was one of the most prolific in reading the order of the stars.

Ronan stumped his hooves, "We invoked the magicks correctly. Our alliances with the others, the order of the planets, everything is correct. Why isn't he acting?"

"He is acting," Glenna told him, "Don't you see?" she pointed up at the night sky.

"I see nothing but possibility, no great change has altered the fates of wizard nor beast. His wife is dead, he knows who slew her, why does he not act?" Ronan asked, his anger vibrating around him.

"He's a professor," Firenze said in answer. "And as a man, he has already changed the course of three of the greatest powers that might have acted or not acted in the war to come."

"The war is already upon us," Bane said, "Anything he does now will be too little, too late."

Glenna threw her head back and laughed, "You are as unseeing as humans then, Bane, for the opposition has just arisen."

* * *

Regulus was a bit hesitant about asking Severus for help. Not because he was afraid of Severus Snape, but because he was currently in the library with Lily Evans as usual.

Being the younger brother of infamous Sirius Black, Regulus made it a point to avoid any Gryffindors, but he needed help.

Taking in a deep breath, he made the first step of the stacks when-

"Hey, little brother."

Regulus nearly jumped out of his skin, he pressed himself back against the books and looked up at the grinning face of the infamous Sirius Black.

"So what are up to?" he asked.

Regulus straightened his shoulders, "Not where am I _slithering_ off to?"

Siri rolled his eyes and snagged the top book off the stack he was holding. "Potions Theory," he read, then looked over his shoulder at Severus and Lily. "Do you need help?"

Regulus gulped, he hadn't asked his brother for help inside the walls of Hogwarts- ever.

"I'm not the genius, Snivellus is, I'll admit, but I am two years ahead of you and my grades are far from shabby."

Regulus thought that his brother was possibly the smartest- at least academically, in the school if he put a little more effort into it. "Are you offering to help me with my homework?" he asked incredulously, taking a step forward in challenge. He would not be played for a fool.

Siri threw an arm around his shoulders, "That I am, Little Reggie."

"Don't you have something better to be doing?" Regulus asked stiffly, as Siri led him not to one of the most secluded spaces in the library but one of the most open where Madam Pince allowed some low voices for group projects and tutor sessions. None of the tables were completely empty and Regulus thought for sure Sirius would move on.

Instead, he directed him to the end of a table that had a Ravenclaw who had her astrology maps spread out across the majority of the table.

"Nope, I have nothing better to do. I mean, I could do my own potions essay," Siri said, pulling over Regulus's books, "But I'll just read over Moony's then write mine during lunch tomorrow."

The Ravenclaw with dark eyes gave him a disapproving look that Siri completely missed.

"So what's giving you trouble?"

Regulus looked at his brother, hoping against hope that this wasn't some sick and elaborate joke. But taking a chance, he pulled out Slughorn's prompt from his notes.

Over the course of the next few hours, Regulus realized two things, how _seriously_ intelligent his brother really was, and how much he had missed him over the years.

* * *

"From Hufflepuff, Mr. Mcmillan, Gryffindor, Ms. Hamilton, Ravenclaw, Ms. Tailor and Ms. Ulley, and from Slytherin, Mr. Crabbe, Mr. Goyle, and Ms. Umbridge, please pack up your things, I can buy back your books for the inconvenience or replace them for sixth years books if any of you choose to transfer to my other DADA class."

The students stared at him in indignation, apparently, none of them had really believed that today's class would affect them.

"I will be talking to the Headmaster about this," Umbridge said, her voice pitched very high as if she might cry.

Was it terribly of him, that Harry did not feel a smidge of pity for her? If so, he didn't care, she had by far the worst grade of anyone in the class. It was no wonder she resorted to the Dark Arts, that branch of magic had power of its own, and Umbridge had very little magic of her own.

"Do tell Albus I say hello, won't you?" Harry asked smoothly.

Teddy giggled and chimed in, "I say hi too! And Fawkes! I say hi to Fawkes!"

Umbridge's face turned pinker than her scarf, she marched out of the room, as the bell rang. Crabbe and Goyle senior followed her, as did the rest of the class. Except for Ms. Hamilton and Ms. Ulley. Ms. Hamilton asked in a quiet voice if Harry could buy back her second-hand book. Harry was happy to and did not make any question either by word or expression of why she or her family might need the money.

"This is too much," she protested.

"No, that is the standard price of the book, and as we are a few weeks into the semester, I will not assume you need to know the price you paid for. I know the cost of this textbook and that is what I shall pay for it, new or not."

She nodded, then said carefully, "I would take your sixth-year class, only it interfers-"

Harry smiled, "I understand. And if ever you wish to practice some protection charms or anti-hexes, my office hours are open to all."

She smiled back, before turning and near running out of the room.

Ms. Ulley was the only student to transfer to the sixth year class.

"Had I been teaching last year, Ms. Ulley, I think you would be able to participate in the N.E.W.T. class, but I am just not confident I could ensure the safety for any students who do not have a firm handle on the theory and consistent charmwork."

"You said that your sixth year class will be able to take the DADA N.E.W.T. if they wished to."

Harry smiled, "You will be able to pass if you put the effort in, and I can assign you more carefully worded prompts than the rest of the class that will enhance your ability to face the test."

She nodded, "Yes, please."

He handed her the sixth year book, "The seventh year book is more about countering the Dark Arts, whereas the sixth year book is about duelling and defence against magical creatures. As the testers of the N.E.W.T. will not actually cast Dark Arts on you, duelling and magical creatures are all they can throw at you, and even their questions are more geared toward those categories. I don't promise you will get an Outstanding in theory, but if you take my sixth year class seriously, then there is no reason you shouldn't be able to achieve an Exceeds Expectations."

She grinned, "I hope you stick around, Professor Rell. You're the best."

* * *

"He is the worst professor ever!" Dolores Umbridge shrieked at her Head of House. "He needs to be gone!"

Horace held up a hand, "Ms. Umbridge, I must insist you calm down. Professor Peverell is perfectly within his rights to have standards for his students. I don't accept anyone into my N.E.W.T. class who doesn't achieve at least an Exceeds Expectations."

"But I was enrolled in the class already!" her voiced reached a new octave.

"That's quite enough. It is what it is, and as he is doing it for the safety of his students, of _my_ students, I have no objections. He sent the scores of the students who were no longer eligible for the class. And I doubt with a score like yours that a retake would do you much good."

Horace was suddenly worried that her head was about to pop off her shoulders, as it turned a violent shade of violet.

In a frighteningly low tone, the girl said, "He rigged it against us."

Horace felt his expression darken, "Professor Peverell is one of the fairest professors to enter this school. And I find him to be among the least biased among the current staff. I believe you have another class to be getting to, Ms. Umbridge, and don't go causing trouble where there is none to be had."

* * *

Kingsley had never been happier. Bella was a storm, a raging, passionate, cold, brutal, and at times so inexplicably innocent that it broke his heart. With her, he felt alive. And yes, he knew she was a dependant. Knew better than anyone but her sisters that though she was dangerous, she couldn't protect herself from people she saw as 'hers.'

It was no easy thing to be in a relationship with someone like, to find a healthy balance between lover and, in some ways, caretaker. But it was a hardship he welcomed, he loved her, and _he_ needed to be needed.

His younger sister and mother had been poor of health, and they had both passed before he had graduated from Hogwarts. His father had drunk himself into oblivion. Kingsley had been helpless to save them. Only his sister had allowed him to assist her, but his parents had refused to let him drop out of school to stay home with them.

So he missed out on the last days of his sister's and mother's lives. And his father afterwards had decided that Kingsley was too much of a child to understand grief or loss as his father knew and felt it.

But with Bella? There was no one on the planet who could separate him from her. No one that could convince him that her faults, her 'craziness', was the only thing about her.

Bella was so much more than instability and power, she was outrageously intelligent and in the light in her eyes, he saw the person that longed to be loved and cherished. That part of her that wished for the happiness of those around her and be allowed to question and explore the wider world.

He held the woman asleep in his arms, vowing to her, to himself, that he would always be by her side, no matter how tremulous the seas or unpredictable the winds.

* * *

Albus knocked on Rell's office door.

"Come in," a voice called.

When Albus entered he didn't, at first, see the young professor.

And then he heard a young boy's voice say, "Zoom! Zoom! Roar!"

Walking over to the desk, he found the professor sitting on a carpet behind his desk. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, his son was sitting in his lap playing with stuffed dragons as Rell looked over papers.

"Sorry to interrupt," Albus said.

Startling green eyes looked up at him from gold-rimmed glasses, "No problem whatsoever, Headmaster, just trying to translate proto-script into English."

Albus smiled, "Ah yes, some students have -interesting- styles of writing."

"I wish I could fault them, but my own quillwork is dismal. Teddy, say hi to the Headmaster."

The child looked up at him with equally green eyes, contrasted by hair the colour of his blue stuffed dragon. "Hi, Hat-Master."

Albus grinned, today he was wearing a magenta hat, "And hello to you, Dragonmaster, I hope you have been enjoying your time at Hogwarts?"

The boy nodded, but his attention had already returned to the make-believe world unfolding between his mind and the toy dragons.

"What can I do for you, Hat-Master?" Rell asked him, a smirk playing on the edge of his lips.

"Well, I had a meeting planned with some colleagues outside of Hogwarts. And they have several small children. I was wondering, given your background, if you might be willing to assist for the evening. The two oldest, Bill and Charlie Weasley are about Teddy's age." Albus saw a flash of recognition in Rell's eyes. But he continued, "Forgive me if this is an inappropriate request, it is by no means related to your responsibilities to me or this school."

"It isn't inappropriate at all," Rell said warmly, "I certainly don't mind babysitting, and it would be a good thing to have a playdate for Teddy."

Albus smiled, "Wonderful, simply wonderful, we will be meeting after lunch on Saturday. We shall be staying until dinner, and Molly Weasley insists you stay for the meal. I can quite attest that she is a most extraordinary cook."

Rell grinned, "Brilliant, Teddy and I will be ready to go Saturday afternoon."

Albus smiled, tipped his hat and departed.

Rell both delighted Albus and worried him. As a professor, he did everything right, as a father, well he knew few mothers as watchful and caring as Henry Peverell, but as a wizard…

Albus couldn't quite place a finger on it, but for someone who had been left to learn everything on his own, he knew too much. He knew too much about the workings of Hogwarts specifically for Albus's peace of mind.

* * *

Harry wondered as he locked up his office if Albus had just invited him over to babysit while an Order of the Phoenix meeting was taking place.

He would know for sure if Minerva came with them.

He was on his way back to his and Teddy's apartment within the castle when Narcissa found them.

He stopped dead, Teddy didn't react, apparently having fallen asleep in his arms as Harry had been lost in his thoughts.

Narcissa was as beautiful as she ever was, and in the dimness of the hallway, her fairness seemed to glow. Just being alone with her made his heart pick up, Merlin, he wished…

It didn't matter what he wished.

"Ms. Black."

She looked a bit nervous, but her eyes had a determined gleam to them. In a cold voice, she said, "Professor Peverell, I was looking for you."

"Well, you've found me," he said almost as coldly. But he was remembering what her lips felt like against his, and cold was not what he felt.

"This Sunday in Ireland, there is a convention of Magical Creatures. People from all around the Isles shows with new variations of creatures to sell, trade, or show off. I thought you and Teddy might like to go with me." She didn't quite make it a statement, and though he couldn't see behind her mask, he could sense her uncertainty.

He, however, felt no uncertainty, "I would love to, we would love to."

She blinked up at him, her shoulders stiffened then relaxed. "Good," she said. "I'll see you both on Sunday then."

"Thank you. Goodnight, Ms. Black."

She nodded, "Goodnight." Then she walked past him.

He began walking again too, barely registering what had just happened or how he felt about it.

"Rell," she called from the opposite end of the hall.

He turned to look at her.

"I want you," she stated, "For more than a night or a season." And then she disappeared around the corner.

Harry stood frozen and didn't know he was smiling until he felt the ache in his cheeks.

* * *

AN: Thank you to everyone who reviews, they are lights in the dark.


	12. Merlin, Help Us All

AN: I am beyond tired, but here's one more chapter for and because of the reviewers. Y'all rock :D

Chapter 12 - Merlin, Help Us All

Voldemort was furious.

The support of the Blacks had disappeared overnight. And with them, so had the rest of his prospects. Somehow his true heritage had been thrown into question. Any of his followers who had or had not yet taken his mark had fled.

None of the pureblood lines followed him willingly, and the half-bloods, though useful, were not enough to convert others.

The worst had somehow happened, Albus Dumbledore was onto him.

He had no spy in his circle, only a few of the older Slytherin students.

"Gibbon, speak," Voldemort ordered, knowing that his son and daughter were both at Hogwarts.

The man stuttered, and it was by force of will alone that Voldemort did not smite him where he grovelled. Gibbon's son had a better head on his shoulders.

"We had one lead, my Lord," the man blubbered.

" _Speak._ "

The man gulped, "Dumbledore's new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Peverell-"

"The Peverell line is dead," Voldemort said, "I saw to that, personally."

They had been odd people, a quiet couple. So quiet he had thought them deaf or mutes when he first interrogated them. But in the end, they both died screaming. It wasn't often he used torture to kill, it took too long.

But he had needed information. Mr. Peverell had broken first, but unfortunately, he had nothing of substance to say. His body had given out like a limp puppet, his dark hair had blended in with the drying blood on the basement floor.

His wife, Mrs. Peverell, had lasted a long, long time. Long enough that Voldemort had been able to get creative. With her flaming hair and vivid green eyes, it had been a pleasure to watch her resist, fighting the pain. But like her husband, she too had broken.

Only she knew more of the family secrets than her dearly departed husband. Lord Voldemort had not left her to miss him.

"They must have had a son," Gibbon interrupted Voldemort's fond memories.

"There was no child in that house," he stated, though now that he thought about it, he hadn't really checked. No one else in that house had made a sound, but he supposed it wasn't impossible that a child could have hidden from him. He shook his head, the information had been worth it, but that had -even by wizard standards, been a strange house.

Gibbon bowed his head, "That's what he calls himself, Professor Peverell."

"What is his first name?" Voldemort asked.

"I don't know, M'Lord, only that some call him Rell, for short."

What was it with this family? Surely, they did have first names, didn't they?

"He must be weak, if I have never heard of him before."

"He was muggle raised, M'lord he didn't go to Hogwarts."

Voldemort raised his brows at this, "A hedgewitch has never taught at Hogwarts before. Was he educated in a different country?"

"I don't know," he said before continuing, "The rumour is that his wife was murdered by 'a dark lord.'"

This caught his interest. No one could tie the Peverells' deaths back to him. There were very few deaths that could be directedly tied to Lord Voldemort at all, which meant one of three things. One, it was someone on his short list of public examples, two, that someone had betrayed him, or three, there was another dark lord on the rise.

"Who?" Voldemort purred.

"His wife was Naomi Lupin, sister of Lyall Lupin."

A hush fell over the room, as everyone held their collective breaths, except for Greyback who let out a low trickling growl.

Voldemort leaned back in his seat. "Naomi Lupin," he said softly. The little whore who had nearly ruined everything. Her brother, Lyall, had been troublesome with the werewolves, but Greyback had taught them their lesson.

But Naomi Lupin; she had learned too much, hadn't turned when bitten, and had slipped through every net and trap he laid for her.

It had been less than three years ago, when he had finally found her, and stomped her out. She had hidden in the muggle world, but not well enough. "The little runt married a Peverell."

Two people that should never have existed to begin with, he thought to himself. It explained how Dumbledore knew of his actions, if this Peverell had been old enough to remember his parents' demise, he might know more than he ought.

"No one could have married that bitch," Greyback growled, then bared his teeth, "I ruined her."

Gibbon shrunk backwards, "They had a son, Teddy Peverell. He's young and a metamorphmagus."

"May I go hunting, my Lord?" Greyback asked, near salivating.

Voldemort shook his head, "No, no. That's what Dumbledore wants. We cannot attack his staff directly. This Peverell," he tasted the name and hated its lineage, "will never be our friend. Not with our apparent history. But perhaps he will remain neutral. This is the first I've ever heard of him, and he has yet to prove a nuisance." He smiled then, his red eyes shining, "Besides, _Professor_ Peverell is already cursed."

* * *

Harry had never liked Percy much in his own time, but the boy as a baby? Harry was enthralled by the little fussy child.

He had scoped the babe out of Molly's arms the moment she offered.

Teddy, very used to his father's reaction around the small ones, ducked off to play with Bill and Charlie's toys. Not, Bill or Charlie, but their toys.

Teddy liked most adults, but he was wary of other children, especially new children.

Charlie, who was four, was fascinated by this new playmate with changing hair colour. Bill, who was six, was much more suspicious, so followed his brother and the newcomer with a shrewd eye on his favourite toys.

"Are you sure you got this?" Molly asked him for the fifth time.

Harry smiled, "Yes, Mrs. Weasley. I raised my son all on my own, and I worked in a daycare. I will keep them all safe, I promise."

She smiled, though he could still see the worry in her eyes. He was a stranger after all.

She laughed to herself, "I'm being silly, but I haven't even been able to leave the babies alone with Arthur."

Arthur was already in his office that had been converted into a meeting room -which had been a bedroom in Harry's time, along with Dumbledore, Minerva, and several others who Harry knew were Order of the Pheonix members.

"They are fine, if something truly does go wrong, you will be the first I call. And you will be just upstairs."

Only partially mollified, she gave him a small smile, kissed Percy on his soft brow, and ascended the stairs.

One part of Harry felt bad about not sharing the information he had about the future, another -larger- part of him was completely delighted by knowing more than Dumbledore and his Bird Order.

Yeah, it was petty, bloody hell, it might mean the life and death for some. But whatever Harry felt for Dumbledore, he didn't trust the Great Wizard, not with the future, not with his son's future.

Perhaps it was selfish, but Harry had been selfless once.

Lots of people had still ended up dead.

Until Harry knew what his actions would reap, he would lie low. Voldemort had been a menace to kill because he had played cat and mouse with Dumbledore. Harry, on the other hand, had had plenty of personal time with the Dark Lord. Granted, Harry was no longer a child. But that was sort of the point, Harry did not want Voldemort to be afraid of him.

Afraid, Voldemort had done unspeakable things. Harry had no doubts Teddy would become his first target, the damned baby killer.

But unafraid, Voldemort had been careless. So self-assured in his own powers, if Harry had just been more powerful…

As for now? Harry thought he might be the kind of power the Dark Lord should fear. So he would wait. And the Horcruxes? They weren't hurting anyone, and they could be destroyed after Voldemort had lost his body.

"Professor Pev-rell," Charlie wined, "How come Teddy can change hair colours?"

Harry rocked from foot to foot as Percy fussed. The fussing was likely due to the absence of his mother, but he had been assured that the baby was well fed, and as he wasn't crying, just making those little baby 'er, uhm,' sounds, Harry was not concerned. He just rocked trying to find the rhythm that would best please the babe.

"Rell is fine. And Teddy was born that way, he's a metamorphmagus. When he's older he will be able to transform himself into other people."

Teddy smiled but didn't look up from the block castle he was building.

Bill frowned at the stranger playing with _his_ toys, it was bad enough he had to share with Charlie, and with the other one once it got bigger. No one told Bill he would have to share his toys with _metamorphs_ too.

Charlie was more interested in the magic than his boring blocks. "Could I be born as a metameg?"

Harry shook his head, "Sadly no."

Charlie pouted and plopped to the ground 'accidentally' scattering Teddy's blocks.

Teddy froze, then looked slowly up at the other boy, his hair which had been Weasley orange and eyes brown flipped to black hair and green eyes.

"Bill," Harry said, "why don't you help Teddy and Charlie build a tall tower? I bet you know how to make one that is hard to tip over."

Bill, ever the big brother, squared his shoulders, sat, crossed his legs, and began to order Charlie and Teddy about.

Charlie argued with his bother about details of a fictional realm of kings and dragons but generally followed the instruction as to be a united front against the Outsider. Teddy, for his part, stayed pretty quiet, though far from a willing subservient, he changed blocks around when the Weasley boys were too busy bickering with one another to notice.

Harry's part in this was to act as a supervisor. Percy had fallen asleep in his arms. He sat watching the three older boys build their kingdom, ensuring that any unrest between them didn't break out into a squabble.

For the Weasley boys, Harry was a scary unknown, a professor from Hogwarts, they wouldn't risk misbehaving under his nose, not right before his eyes.

And that was the thing most people didn't understand. Watching little children was not all that difficult _when_ you were watching them. It was when you weren't watching that the trouble began. Thus the expression of teachers having eyes on the back of their heads.

They didn't really have eyes on the back of their heads, or at least Harry didn't. But what he did know, as every good daycare employee knows, that it was the moment you turned your back that they were up to something.

How did one know this?

Children were always up to something.

But, alas, the evening passed without reason for Harry to take his eyes off them. Percy stayed asleep and the other three were pulled into a fantasy realm of their own design. As Harry was following their little epic, he helped the blocks burst into illusionary flames, then helped restack the block when the Good Wizard from the East came to save the day.

They used the restroom a few times, and Bill went to go get juice for everyone because 'it was his house and the Rells were guests.'

Teddy was, as always, discernably quieter than the others -aside from little Percy, but still, Teddy nearly laughed himself sick when Charlie 'released the dragons' and Harry set the whole block castle ablaze with sparkles.

Bill tried to be angry at his laughing guest and brother, but when the flaming sparkles reformed into blocks that looked like the grand ruins of a block castle, Bill decided to wage war on the imaginary dragons instead.

When Molly and Arthur emerged from their 'meeting' to tell it would be time for dinner soon, Bill and Charlie bemoaned the stop to their game so loudly that they woke Percy.

Which considering all the 'roaring' and castles tumbling to the ground was pretty remarkable.

Molly smiled at Harry as he rocked the baby back to a restful state. Although Percy's fussing renewed, hungry and stinky, he was set to cry again.

"Where's his changing room?" Harry asked.

"Oh, you don't have to-" Molly protested.

"Nonsense, you're getting dinner ready."

And Arthur said, "Third door on the left." Obviously, he didn't want to be the one to change him.

Harry turned on the other three boys, "You three be good, we can stay a bit after dinner, but then I want no whining when it is time for us to leave. Everyone needs to sleep at night."

"Not vampires," Teddy told him.

Harry mock scowled at his son who giggled even as Bill and Charlie promised they wouldn't whine.

* * *

"Who is he?" Molly asked Albus as she waved her wand and brought food to the table.

"He wonderful, isn't he?" Minerva said. "Of all the professors we've had to fill that position since after Albus left it, Professor Peverell has been my favourite."

"Shame about his wife, Lyall's sister," Arthur said sadly.

Molly laid a plate down in front of her husband, "I know, she was lucky to have someone like him. Not many fathers would have been able to raise a child on their own."

Arthur stiffened.

Molly had been near frantic at the idea that war really was coming, and not to pleased with her spouse that another man had offered to help her with the baby care when Arthur had just stood there.

Molly liked being a mother, but this afternoon had been the first break she had from her sons since Bill was born.

Everyone needed a break sometimes, preferably not at the expense of crying children and unchanged baby diapers. When she had heard nothing but quiet from her youngest sons and only laughter from her older sons, she had felt-

Well, some part of her had breathed a bit.

Molly didn't say anything else to Arthur about it as she called in the three boys, and Professor Peverell joined them with a clean but fussy Percy.

Dinner served, she took her baby back to feed him, sitting back from the table as people began to load their plates.

Her twin brothers began to rib Professor Peverell- or Rell as he prefered to be called, with questions that were more setups to jokes than true information seeking.

Rell smiled and joked back with an ease that made her wonder if he knew other harassing twins.

After dinner, the boys went off to play, and then, the weirdest thing Molly had ever seen a wizard do in her entire existence happened.

He helped with the dishes.

* * *

"So, let me test my understanding here," Remus asked, "You want me to- what? I'm sorry, I lost you once Padfoot started listing magical artefacts."

Prongs sighed dramatically, "Well, we can't prank the other houses at the moment."

"Yeah, because Professor Rell would skin us," Padfoot grumbled.

Remus gave him a look, "I thought you said my uncle's detention was 'dreadfully boring' and the worst part was Snape."

Padfoot waved it away, "It's an expression. But no one wants to see that wizard mad."

"He's crazier than Dumbledore," Prongs said morosely.

"Your presentation wasn't bad," Remus said, "I mean you stumbled over a few words but it was a decent- urm, explanation."

Prongs' cheeks flushed, "Can we not talk about detention? We are avoiding the Wizard. McGonagall will get us for this one, but it will be fun and no one's going to get hurt."

"Except for Wormtail's feelings," Remus countered.

"Pish-posh," Padfoot said in a high falsetto, then let his voice drop. "He's been weird lately. Haven't you noticed?"

"And you think this will help?" Remus asked in the same sceptical tone.

"Well, maybe it shakes him out of it," Prongs said, "Now, shush, you need to pay attention, we have to time it just right."

"How do we know where he'll go?" Remus asked, because he had been listening, even to Padfoot's ramblings.

"That's the brilliance, he'll find us."

Remus looked at him suspiciously, "I don't know…"

Padfoot snorted, "We'll put a tracking charm on him, there, done, happy?"

Remus said nothing.

"Are you in or not?" Prongs pushed.

Remus sighed, "Fine, I'm in. But for the record, I still think it's a bad idea. He's our friend."

"Yeah, well," Prongs said offhandedly, "he's a pretty useless friend. And ever since we helped him become an animagus, he's been a bit of a-"

"Rat," Padfoot supplied.

Remus sighed again. He couldn't argue with him, Peter was hapless to the point of annoyance at times. And ever since he had become an animagus he had become… meaner, slippier.

But Peter was still their friend, and harmless prank or no, this still felt like a bad idea.

 _Merlin, help us all._

* * *

AN: Reactions, thoughts, concerns, baby dragons? Pretty, pretty please?


	13. Borrowed Time

WARNING: Okay, I know many of you are going to be annoyed with the interruption. But it is for you, the reader's benefit. Issues can be directed at the muses, I suspect they will laugh at you, but then that's above my pay grade ;)

Chapter 13 - Borrowed Time

Once upon a time, there lived a woman.

Bold and clever was she, and such was her way that for her, all things were vibrant. In life, she had spent every day and every moment _living._

Naomi Lupin was a witch who noticed every detail in her vicinity, but few noticed her, for in the time it took for someone to reach out to her, she was already gone, already off to the next grand discovery.

Her older brother and her professors had known her best. Watching her grow, answering her endless stream of questions, questions that led to more questions as well as questions that had no answers.

After she graduated, someone should have warned her that there were some questions one should not ask. Some stones that should not be turned over, some paths that should not be taken.

But she had, and she had paid for her curiosity in blood and pain under claws and teeth too sharp to be human.

She had not become a wolf, unlike her poor nephew, but she had not escaped unchanged, unmarred.

People noticed her like they never had before. Naomi had never considered herself beautiful, nor had anyone else for that matter, but she hadn't been unseemly either. The werewolf had changed that, and in strangers' eyes she saw that she was both hideous and unwelcome. In loved ones' eyes, she was pitiable and diminished.

It had been a difficult adjustment, it had made her feel, for the first time in her life, truly alone.

Her vibrancy had been coated with grey.

But the scars on her body, her heart, had not deterred her, it had merely proven that the questions she had begun to ask were the right ones. Questions that should not have been asked but had _needed_ to be asked.

And when the long buried secrets finally began to reveal themselves, she knew she could not stay near her family, could not further endanger her brother, sister-in-law, and her dear, dear nephew.

So she had disappeared, left the wizarding world completely, well, almost completely.

Years passed.

The next change that came to her life had been unexpected, unplanned.

That change came in the form of Henry Black Peverell, the town librarian.

He was a stunningly beautiful man, who saw past her scars, saw _her_ as no one ever had. She never met someone like him before, both gentle yet intense, soft-spoken yet direct.

He had stolen her heart that night, and she had invited him home, invited him in.

She had accidentally called him 'Harry' instead of Henry in the heat of the moment. But he had only laughed and kissed her nose when she apologized afterwards, saying that Harry was indeed, a nickname for Henry.

He had made her breakfast in the morning. If he hadn't already seduced her, the sight of him in the sunlight, shirtless, cooking for her the single best breakfast she had ever tasted, she would have been enthralled.

He had left his number.

Naomi didn't call him, though she had wanted to, Harry had made her feel real. But she couldn't put him into harm's way. Not the muggle librarian who deserved someone more beautiful, deserved someone _better_ than her.

And besides, she was so close in her research. So close discovering the impossible.

The day she finally blew the cover off the secrets corresponded with the same day she learned she was pregnant.

It had broken her heart.

In her discovery, she had found her death, certain and assured, she was going to die. And yet in her body she held new life. Naomi had cried herself sick, having no way of knowing if she would live long enough to deliver the child.

She warred with herself for months in whether or not to call Harry. He was a good man, who would have liked to know. But how could she tell him? It would put his life at risk, and she had no way of promising him that there would be a child.

But the months passed and no one came for her, the prospect of becoming a mother became suddenly and immediately real to her.

She was going to have a baby.

She hadn't seen her brother in years, she hadn't been in the wizarding world in years, and it was likely what had kept her alive. Once a witch or wizard immersed themselves in the muggle world, it became nearly impossible to track them. Everyone knew everyone in the wizarding world, even the recluses were known as recluses. Everyone in the wizarding world talked to one another. If she went to her brother, someone would hear about it.

Missing, she was safe, missing, she could stay hidden, and maybe, just maybe, live long enough to see her child grow up.

She grabbed her keys, feeling in her bones, as well as in other places, that the baby was coming today.

Her son. She had only recently gone to the doctors, and they had told her it was a boy.

She let herself absorb that as she drove to the library, it was a Thursday, and she just hoped Henry hadn't closed up early. She still had his number but…

But he was there, locking up, and looking as handsome as she remembered.

She felt suddenly possessive. She knew she wasn't good enough for him, but she wanted him. And she wanted a father for her son.

It had only been one night, one morning, she didn't know him, or rather she didn't know much _about_ him. But she knew he was-

Her water broke.

Taking in deliberately even breaths, she got out of the car.

Harry was already looking at her, looking at her as if she had answered his dearest wish. She saw him see the additional mass of her.

 _His_ addition, she thought.

There was so much she wanted to tell him, but what came out was, "I can't do this alone." She leaned back against the car as a spasm of pain shot up her spine.

He ran to her, and in that moment, Naomi fell in love with him.

"Did your water break?" he asked, the open concern on his face made her want to cry.

It had been so long since someone cared. She could only nod.

He offered her his hand, and she took it, feeling both like a thief and reconnected to pulse of the world. He helped her into the backseat. He didn't ask if the baby was his, he didn't reprimand her for driving here, he didn't make assumptions or assertions, he just helped her with a tenderness that remade her.

As he was about to close the door, she caught his wrist and did the single most selfish thing she had ever done. She asked, with more bluntness than she had intended, "Will you marry me?"

"What?" he asked, his emerald eyes going wide. He looked startled but not repulsed.

A wave of pain racked her, she didn't scream, she'd been through worse, but her voice was rough when she repeated, "Marry me."

She watched emotions blow over his face, none of them bad. He looked into her eyes, emerald to honey, he said, "Yes."

The contraction hit her like a blow, she saw spots, but if they were going to do this, she wanted there to be no doubts about who the baby belonged to. The chance that she wouldn't live long enough to be a mother was all to present in her mind, and if she couldn't be there for this new little person, she wanted to gift her son with a father.

She hurt too much to be eloquent, Lyall would have been appalled. Nodding to herself, to the phantom chiding of her brother, she said, "Then drive to the court, I don't want my son to be born a bastard."

Harry, sweet, considerate Harry, attempted to be reasonable, "A hospi-"

Naomi wasn't feeling reasonable. "We are getting married today!" she screamed at him as another wave crested through her body.

The hospital would have been the wiser idea.

She wasn't all that coherent as he worked through paperwork in the town hall parking lot. She could only note the swift proficiency Harry proceded with and the question of if she wanted to take his name.

She did.

Naomi Peverell barely made it through the doors of the hospital when her son started his reach for air.

He was beautiful, their son.

"What do you want to name him?" Harry asked, leaning on the side of the hospital bed, brushing the hair back from her face as the doctors cleaned and checked over their son.

"Don't know," she murmured weakly, "Lupin Peverell."

Harry hmmed, then asked, "First name?" His eyes were bright, and she wished she could focus better.

"History," she said softly, "history and mag- and science were my favourite subjects."

Harry grinned, "History, huh? Well as the town librarian, I'll have you know that your husband knows a lot of historical names."

The delight in the way he said, _your husband,_ warmed her to her toes. Marrying him, had not been a mistake.

"Someone who was a great man," she offered, "an explorer, someone… someone sciencey."

His smile grew, "Sciencey? But not a scientist?"

She nodded, wondering what was taking the doctors so long.

Harry's fingers continued to brush through her hair. She closed her eyes for a moment, relishing his touch. He was, inexplicably hers.

"Er… Theodore Roosevelt? He was America's 26th president and he was an explorer."

Her eyes flicked open and she smiled, "Teddy."

She didn't know all that much about muggle history, but she had made it a point to read up on some major world leaders and events that had happened in the last hundred years. America sounded like an odd, big place, she had always wanted to visit, and maybe if she had she would have investigated-

"He is your son, completely healthy little boy," the doctor said, resting the infant in her arms, "Ten fingers and ten toes."

"Theodore Lupin Peverell," she greeted the child in a whisper. He was so small, but he wiggled around as he been doing in recent months with more strength than such a tiny person she thought should have.

Harry rested his hand over hers hand and over their son's back. "Teddy," he repeated in soft awe.

Her heart lurched. Seeing the way he looked at her son, the way he looked at her holding her son against her scared chest, she was surrounded by more love than she thought she would ever have; her life seemed wasteful until now.

Her desire for life, for a life with her new husband and son, overwhelmed her as Harry kissed the scar on the edge of her ruined lips, then kissed the brow of their newborn. He began to murmur the most lovely endearments to their son, and she knew he would be there, always be there for his son.

And she knew that she would have traded every secret, gone back and have rewritten time itself, to unlearn what she had learned. Harry and Teddy accomplished something Greyback had never been able to achieve.

She was afraid for herself, because for the life she held in her arms, for the man who was beside her she would trade it all to be with them.

oOo

Despite her fear, despite her ever growing wariness of the night, the next few months were the best of her life.

Harry did more than his fair share with the baby care, to the point where she sometimes had to fight to do chores before he got to them. The more she got to know him the more incredible he became. He doted on her endlessly, more so than she imagined any woman who had a 'shot gun' marriage would expect.

But of the things she learned about her husband, that he was an incredible cook, nerdishly studious, and heartbreakingly kind, it was the day Teddy turned his hair pink, then baby blue, then black, then brown, and then resettled on pink that things between them changed.

How does one tell their muggle husband that his baby can change colours because their baby is a wizard because his mother is a witch?

Answer: One's husband struggles with the reverse.

"There's something I have to tell you," they said together.

And both said in a rush before the other could finish, "I'm a witch." "I'm a wizard."

They blinked at each other, "What did you say?"

Then Harry buried his face in against the curve her neck, his body shaking with suppressed laughter. Her own laughter caught her and they both started howling with it. Teddy, their little metamorphmegas- Merlin, he was going to get into such trouble, looked up at his parents with interest.

And then the baby started laughing too, his first laugh.

Naomi and Harry immediately began cooing over him. Teddy, for his part, seemed to fully understand that he was the apple of his parents' eyes and delighted in it.

Later that night she asked, "So, you're a wizard, Harry?"

He chuckled, "You're the first I've told. My foster family knew, of course, and a few of my bullies. Well, they didn't know I was a wizard, but those kids must have realized _something_ amiss. But I never told anyone."

She frowned, "So you didn't go to any of the schools?"

He sighed, "I wish. No, my foster parents wouldn't allow it. I had a trunk of my parents' old things, my father's old wand -or I think it's his, guess it could be my mum's, and their old textbooks."

"Self-taught?" she asked, wondering how powerful he was versus how _actually_ skilled he was. Being self-taught, he could only go so far.

He nodded, "But you went to Hogwarts? What was it like?"

"It's a magical castle," she deadpanned, "with magic."

He tickled her, until she was squeaking and wheezing for breath, "Stop, stop, you'll wake Teddy!" she pleaded.

He kissed her senseless, then nipped her bottom lip, "Tell me about Hogwarts." He stretched out beside her under the covers.

"Well, before that, you should know that Peverell is a family line of one of the oldest purebloods ever. The Peverell's are a part of the Wizarding World fairy tales."

"Are you telling me our son is a lordling?"

She whacked his shoulder, "The lord system was done away with, but you, Mr. Henry Black Peverell, indeed, would have been a lord."

He kissed her cheek, "And you, my Lady."

She giggled, she couldn't help it, he always managed to bring out the softer sides of her.

He wrapped his arms around her, and asked again, "So… Hogwarts?"

She sobered a bit, understanding that being barred from Hogwarts, that staying at home with his foster family, had been a shadow on his life. Who knows who he might have become had he learned magic properly? Though, honestly speaking, she loved him just as he was.

She told him about her years at Hogwarts. Her love of all things magical, how her professors had pushed and challenged her -because she had been 'the Girl-of-Questions,' and her constant strives to keep up with her older brother.

"You have a brother?" he asked cautiously. Neither of them talked much about their families.

He didn't, because she doubted there had ever been love to lose between them, and her, because she was utterly terrified to lose everything.

"Lyall Lupin, and his wife Hope. They are good people." She sighed, "We're estranged. They have a son, Remus, he must be eleven or twelve now. He-" her breath caught, and she felt Harry still beside her. He was incredibly good at reading people, at reading her. "He was turned by a werewolf when he was four years old."

Sorrow crossed Harry's face, "I'm so sorry."

"Lyall…" she shook her head, "Both Lyall and I have made terrible mistakes, Harry."

He traced a scar along her shoulder that spilled down her back, when she shuddered, it wasn't from remembered horror.

She nodded, "It was the same wolf, but I didn't turn when the full moon rose. He didn't bite me deep enough." The last came out more bitter than she had intended.

He pulled her on top of him, cupping her face between his palms, "Naomi, you and Teddy are the very best things to ever happen to me, I am so-" it was his turn to catch his breath. She felt his heart thundering beneath her hands where they rested on his chest, "I am so grateful, for you, for all that you are. I love you."

She saw her tears drop on his cheeks before she felt them. "I love you, too," she croaked, and she hated herself as she leaned down to claim his kiss.

One day she would be taken from him, from them. She could only hope he understood how very much she wanted to stay.

oOo

Six months, six wonderful, unimaginable months with the unexpected love of her life and her son, and it was all borrowed time.

"Naomi," Harry pushed, "come on, come watch the sunset with us, we will make it back before the light disappears."

She wanted to go, she did, she really did, but she was afraid, afraid of the night and the dark. Greyback had gotten her beneath the stars. And tonight her anxiety had risen to a head.

She would have run if she had anywhere to run to. But she knew Harry, he didn't like to leave her to battle her nightmares alone. If she ran, he would tear through Hell and Heaven to find her, and likely get himself killed in the process.

"What is wrong?" he asked, stubborn as ever.

"Nothing more than usual," she lied. She didn't know if she was gifted, but she had a second sense for trouble, normally she would have chased that danger. But after having Teddy, after falling in love with Harry, she cursed every instance she had chosen adventure over sanity.

Harry secured Teddy in his stroller, the baby oddly quiet today, typically Teddy babbled in a constant stream of syllables. It was the music in their lives.

But today he was quiet, and her sense of doom grew. Once they left for their walk, she would ward they property against them specifically.

It would fall when she died.

"Go," she urged, "I'll be here when you get back."

He gave her a suspicious look, crossed the room, lifted her off her feet and kissed her like he meant to burn away the demons.

For a space of racing heart falls, she let herself forget, let herself be loved, and gave back as good as she got.

She nearly stumbled when he lowered her back to the floor.

"Husband," she breathed shakily, "I love you."

He laughed, his emerald eyes bright as sunlit gems, "Wife, I love you, to the moon and back."

"To the moon and back again," she repeated, pulling him down for one last kiss.

oOo

Harry disappeared with Teddy's stroller around the corner when the dark silhouettes popped into the yard.

Oddly, they hadn't waited for nightfall. Sunlight from an orange and gold sunset bathed the room.

All those months being afraid of the dark and she was going to die in the sun. Naomi didn't know if it was a blessing or some perverted joke.

Voldemort walked through her front door, her wards not stopping him at all. She had cast a spell over the house, a complex glamour she had been weaving for weeks. It would not fade when she died. She was pretty sure Harry would figure out how to reverse it. Voldemort wouldn't know there was anything to reverse.

The picture frames were filled with landscapes, owls, and cats. She doubted the Dark Lord would notice that they didn't have a cat. To him and his followers, it would be the house of a single woman living alone.

So long as Harry stayed away long enough.

"Naomi Lupin," the monster in a human body purred.

She had thought Tom Riddle objectively handsome when she had first encountered him. Seeing as he hadn't aged at all, she supposed he was still objectively handsome, with his symmetrical face and thick head of dark hair.

But his eyes were red, and no physical feature could disguise the person he was on the inside.

Harry had taught her that, shown her with every touch and look that who she was, was beautiful.

The reverse was equally true of Lord Voldemort's innards.

"What?" she asked, cocking a hip, "Didn't bring any puppies with you today?" She wasn't unafraid, she was riding a high of anxiety that Harry would come back too soon. She didn't want to die, but she didn't fear it, she feared for her family.

"Crucio," the Dark Lord cast at her almost lazily.

Naomi twisted, avoiding the curse and shot back with her own.

He flicked her spells away, and the next time he cursed her, he got her.

She didn't give him the satisfaction of screaming. His hooded and masked friends laughed at her as she writhed on the ground.

The curse was lifted, and she focused on breathing, before she turned to look up at the monster, "That the best you've got? So basic."

She needed him to kill her quick.

He pulled her up with some levitation spell that felt like a rope around her neck. "I have her, leave," he ordered the others, "the poor Lupin girl, is all by herself."

The Death Eaters disapparated without being told twice.

The invisible rope jerked around her neck, "Why have you kept your silence? I knew the instant you, little minx, learned what you should have kept your nose out of." He took a step toward her, "Why so quiet?"

She spat in his face.

The torture curse hit her with a veracity she had never imagined. She couldn't tell if she screamed or not. One the spell lifted her ears rang as if she were the bell that had been rung.

"Who have you told?" the Dark Lord asked.

She bared her teeth, "Only you and I know, Tommy boy."

Another round of Crucio. At this rate, her mind would snap before he ended her.

"Who have you told?" he asked again in a silken voice.

The sun was setting. She let fear colour her voice, "Please," she begged, though not for her own life, "please, I told no one, no one." She sounded so pitiful, she wanted to puke. Mostly, because even she couldn't tell if it were an act or not.

The invisible rope raised her to her toes. Would she die from suffocation? Hung, good old witch execution style.

"Why not?" he asked, "You could have changed everything."

She met his scarlet gaze, "I was afraid."

He smiled like a cat playing with a chick. "Afraid of what?" he purred, "Afraid of whom?"

She let herself go weak in the knees, her air withheld, she exhaled, "Death."

Something like understanding flashed in the Dark Lord's eyes. He traced a finger across her cheek, "A pity, perhaps you could have been of use to me." His face turned cruel, "But I don't need damaged goods."

The rope dropped. Naomi closed her eyes as she hit the ground, she thought of her precious baby and Harry. Her husband with his raven hair, emerald eyes, and ready smile.

It had been a good life, with more love and joy from start to end than she could have dreamed of. She had been loved and she had in turn loved.

She imagined Harry beside her, reaching out to hold her hand, and with her last breath, she said, "I would have stayed-"

The killing curse ended her instantaneously, and her last thought was lost to the universe. Lord Voldemort left her crumpled on a heap on the ground, the tears cooling on her scarred face.

* * *

A sickly green snake and skull floated and coiled above their home. Something he had only seen once before in his life.

"Naomi," Harry asked, then shouted, "Naomi!"

He pulled Teddy from his stroller, and ran toward the house, wand in hand.

The door was unlocked and all the magical wards stripped away.

"Naomi!" he called.

No one answered. Aside from the wrongness that permeated their home and the skull thing floating above the house, there was something different about the living room. He had enough time to register something was wrong with the pictures on the walls and that Teddy's playset was gone, before he saw her.

Time seemed to stop.

Harry forced himself to check the room. He throughout a spell that would inform him of other people or newly placed wards or cursed. Naomi thought he wasn't good at magic, that all he really knew were the parlour tricks he learned for muggle children. She never realized that he was as paranoid as she was.

According to the spell, only he and Teddy were in the house. Harry accioed the stroller into the house, placing their crying son back into the soft blanket nest.

Harry fell to his knees and crawled to his wife. "Naomi, Naomi, Naomi," he spoke the litany under his breath, "Please Naomi…"

He touched her shoulder, and she rolled over limply, as limp as the dead.

"No, no, no," he said, tears blurring his vision. He pulled her into his arms, "Naomi, Naomi, please, you're all I have. You're the only one who-"

He couldn't breathe, he hugged her body to him, rocking her back and forth. Teddy's cries turned into screaming wails. And Harry sobbed with him.

They were alone now. His wife, Teddy's mother, stolen away by a monster.

Harry buried his hand in her hair and pressed his forehead to hers. Collapsing around her, he surrendered himself to a grief he would never recover from.

* * *

KEYNOTE: Harry does at this point remember those six months in full but he and Voldemort only know it from their personal points of view.* This was Naomi's story, and she's dead now. What she knew died with her.

* * *

AN: Thank you to the reviewers! Especially the people sharing thoughts, observations, and ideas. I finish my thesis this week and y'all helping me survive this war against myself. Much love!


	14. So Many Secrets

KEYNOTE: The timing of chapter 13 is important because it corresponds with Harry's own 'remembrance' which has happened between the first time he babysits the Weasley boys and his first date with Narcissa. And yes, my muses are cruel bastards. As to chapter length, suck it up, I break chapters where I feel it is right, and Naomi needed her own space.

Chapter 14 - So Many Secrets

Harry woke shaking. Rolling out of bed, he ran to the bathroom, he turned on the sink and splashed cold water on his face as he if could wash the dreams away. But they hadn't just been dreams.

He remembered, he _remembered_.

He remembered Noami as if she had been real, because she had been real. He remembered Teddy, not as Remus's and Nymphadora's son, but _his_ son, not godson.

He still remembered his other life, as clearly as the new one. But Andromeda's suicide was no longer an overlapping sorrow, it was its own, just as Naomi's loss was-

Merlin, help him, he held a hand to his chest, feeling as if his heart were being crushed.

He loved her. What he felt for Naomi was more than he ever felt for anyone else. Whatever he had felt for Hermione and Ginny was nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to the love and life he had shared with Naomi Lupin.

Or rather, Naomi Peverell, because she had been his in the end.

And now she was gone.

"Daddy?" Teddy asked from the doorway. "Daddy, you alright?"

Harry looked up at his son and held out his arms.

Teddy ran to him, and Harry hugged him tight, "You and me, little man."

Teddy pulled on his hair, letting one of the curls bounce like a spring, "I love you, Daddy."

Harry's chest felt tight, like a hollow cavern housing a ball of pain and loss. He was as much Harry Peverell, as he was Harry Potter. He was more than he had been, and he bore all the scars to prove it.

"I love you too, Theodore Lupin Peverell," Harry said, and choose at that moment to stop questioning the magic. To stop questioning what was real and what wasn't. They were both. The here and now was real.

Oh, eventually he would find all the people responsible for doing this to them, but as to questioning who they were…

They were the Peverells. Harry and Teddy Peverell, and one day, Harry would avenge his wife's death, and Teddy would grow up _knowing_ that his parents had loved him more than anything else in the world. Godson or son, Teddy was his.

"Are we going to Ireland with Narcissa today?" Teddy asked.

Harry blinked down at him. He had completely forgotten about his date, and, honestly, all he wanted to do was go back to bed, curl up in a ball and pretend not to exist. He wanted to think about Naomi now that he could finally remember her clearly, he wanted to mourn her.

But looking down at Teddy and his pleading eyes, Harry knew he had to go on living. Nothing he could do would bring her back.

"Yeah, that's the plan for today. I'm going to take a shower, are you alright to wait a half an hour before breakfast?"

Teddy nodded seriously, "I'll go feed Regina and give her pets."

Harry kissed him on the top of his head before releasing him.

Under the shower spray, Harry mulled over reality. He could only dimly remember the Peverells, his parents. They had looked the same as James and Lily Potter, had died the same… no, they hadn't died the same. They had been tortured and Harry had been put in a cupboard rather than his crib as he watched, waited to be saved.

He shuddered, he must have been the same age, because he could only remember Voldemort's laughter and his parents' screams. The words were beyond him. He shuddered again, witnessing that in a cupboard brought a whole new level of awful to the Durselys' cupboard under the stairs.

The Dursleys.

They were the same in both realities, if from different generations. Or not exactly the same, he had grown up not with Dudley, but with Vernon and Marge as his cousins. _That_ Mrs. Dursley had somehow managed to be more awful than Aunt Petunia, more strict and crueller. Evil step-mother indeed.

Harry had gone to Stonewall High, and it had been horrid. He had never made a single friend, it seemed with or without his cousin, Boy Who Lived or no, Harry had always been destined to be the odd one out. But that trunk from his parents… he had snuck out often to practice in the park and stayed up late to read not his school books but to learn magic.

He had put Hermione's study habits to shame. And even with the lack of sleep, he had still done well in muggle school as well, a lack of friends gave a person a lot of time.

He remembered those long, empty, yet not unpleasant, years as a librarian. He remembered Naomi, who had changed everything.

His memories as the Boy Who Lived did not contradict those memories, it was like gaining a decade of study that in Hogwarts he had never put the time into. His memories of Naomi were by far the most alternating to how he saw himself.

The memories after Naomi's death mirrored, almost exactly those of his previous life after Andromeda's death. His job and issues at the daycare, the day to day struggles of being a single father, and their lives even corresponded to his dealings with Mrs. Adams.

The one major difference had been the fire. After being laid off from the daycare, Harry Peverell had drove home in the lil-bu-bug. The house he had bought with his inheritance from the Potters, or the house Naomi had bought with her money from being a store manager, had been engulfed in an inferno.

It wasn't a natural fire, by the time he got there, there was nothing to be saved. He hadn't stopped the lil-bu-bug, he hadn't wanted Teddy to understand what had happened.

Harry had launched into an epic fairytale story about dragons, eliciting laughter from his son. Laughing all the way to London, Teddy had been excited to go to the magical bank. Harry had been greeted there with another unpleasant surprise. After Naomi had died, he had moved everything, their bank accounts and savings, the deed and insurance plans, as well as their birth certificates and passports to Gringotts.

Harry turned off the water.

The goblins had 'lost' it all, saying that Harry had neglected to fill out the proper paperwork. He had demanded to see his vault. The goblins had laughed at him, but they had brought him and Teddy to his vaults.

None of his belongings or funds had been in that vault, just that magical dust, and then Teddy had sneezed, and suddenly, he had another man's memories.

Harry James Potter's memories, a brother soul from a different world, a different time.

Shaking his head, Harry dried off and got dressed.

He really did not want to go on a date today. He wanted to know what the hell was going on. He wanted to avenge his parents, his wife, figure out what the goblins were up to and why he had two parallel memories. But most of all, he wanted to know _why_ Voldemort had been after them in this timeline.

Presumably, it wasn't because of a damned prophecy this time. Voldemort had been after the Peverells and hadn't killed them but tortured them for information. But for what information, his one-year-old mind had been unable to retain.

And Naomi.

 _Both Lyall and I have made terrible mistakes, Harry._

What the fuck had she meant?

What had sent the Dark Lord after her personally? Her, and yet, not her brother, Lyall?

He needed to know.

He came out into his rooms and found that Teddy, had indeed, fed the cat.

Chuckling despite himself, he waved his hand, sending the entire bag worth's of cat food back into its container.

Regina turned on him, her amber eyes narrowing, and she let out a rather insulted, "Meow."

Harry smiled at the cat, as he walked toward them. Teddy was talking to Regina in a conspiratorial whisper. Harry bent down and hand his son a cup, "Just one scoop, Teddy."

Smiling, Teddy took the cup and filled it and poured it into the cat's dish.

Regina gave Harry a look, then looked at the dish, twitched her tail, then looked back up at him, and twitched her tail. She said again, "Meow."

Harry smirked at the feline, before saying, "Come on, Teddy, let's get you dressed."

* * *

Minerva noticed something was wrong with Rell the moment he walked up to the head tables.

There were dark circles under his eyes and a hardness to his face she had never seen before. As he took a seat at the table she felt his magic.

It wasn't invasive or harmful, but it was like descending into a different elevation.

"Rell, is anything wrong?" she asked, looking at Teddy who seemed perfectly fine. The child was humming and his hair was bright pink.

"Good morning, Minerva," he greeted, "No, nothing is wrong."

The way he said it made it sound like he meant _everything_ was wrong but there was nothing he could do about it.

When he sat down, he drank only pumpkin juice, but didn't touch a shred of food even as Teddy ate heartily.

* * *

Lily sat down for breakfast, and her gaze was immediately drawn to the head table. Something was off about Professor Rell. And she noticed that Narcissa Black was absent from her usual seat. She wondered if it had something to do with Professor Rell.

All the girls had bets going as to who Professor Rell would hook up with either in the school or in the wider wizarding world.

He was just too handsome, too all around amazing not to be picked up by someone. And his son was so cute, that was only a plus. Nearly every girl had a crush on him. Well, Lily didn't, but she was _aware_ of him.

As he and his son departed the hall, she hoped they were alright.

* * *

Harry felt bad about not being happy to see Narcissa, she was unquestionably lovely.

His guilt increased when he saw her nervous smile when she greeted them. He did his best to swallow the mood he was in.

As Hermione had told him many a time, it did no good to spread his temper to people who didn't deserve it.

But even smiling, even seeing his son light up and sprint across the greens, and even watching the wind blow through her sunbeam hair Harry couldn't bring himself to speak much.

Narcissa didn't poke, but he could tell she was growing agitated by his none committal responses.

Kicking himself, he asked, "Do you think they have a list of all the creatures here today?"

The Magical Creature Convention had commandeered a golf course, Harry could only pity the grounds grew that would have to fix the greens tomorrow.

Narcissa looked around, then took his hand leading him toward a stand with a wizard in a jade pointed hat was passing out pamphlets.

Harry took three, one for himself, one for Teddy's future studies, and one for Hagrid.

"Do you think Hagrid would have liked to come?" Narcissa asked as if reading his thoughts.

He nodded, "But I'm glad he isn't, who knows what he would have tried to bring back."

"Daddy!" Teddy yanked on his arm, "Look it's a manticore!"

"How does he even know what a manticore is?" Narcissa asked as they followed Teddy from display to display. Many of the creatures on display weren't here to be sold, nor like a circus, were they here for people's entertainment. Creatures like the manticore were here to raise awareness, and Teddy stopped to question each and every witch or wizard who was giving out information about their creatures.

It gave Harry an excuse to not talk much without being overly offensive.

His mind was still spinning with everything he had 'learned' though learned wasn't the right word. More like realized. And the mysteries and sorrows aside, it was fascinating to compare his two lives.

Harry Peverell had been raised with Vernon and Marge. He finally felt as if he understood his obese uncle and acholic pseudo-aunt. The Dursleys were one truly warped family.

But try as he might to focus on something else, anything else, his mind kept coming back to the feel of Naomi's cooling body in his arms.

 _To the moon and back again._ Her last words to him.

He had no words to explain the pain he felt for her passing, no word strong enough for the growing rage in his heart.

He didn't want to simply kill Voldemort.

He wanted to destroy him. He wanted the bastard to suffer.

* * *

Narcissa was growing more disheartened by the minute.

Here she was, thinking they had such great chemistry together. And now they were on a date together and he hardly seemed to see her.

He barely spoke to her.

She couldn't think of what she had done wrong, and it wasn't until Teddy started peppering his father with excited questions about the dragons on the grounds that she realized that whatever was up with Rell, had nothing to do with her at all.

"Daddy?" Teddy whined, pulling on his father's hand with his whole body.

Rell looked up as if he were coming out of deep waters, his voice was a bit rough when he asked, "What is it, Teddy?"

" _Dragons."_

Rell blinked down at him, then looked over at the dragons. He turned a real smile on her then, and she caught her breath, seeing the spark of mischief in the wizard's emerald eyes.

He held out his hand to her which she had released some time ago, "Interested in meeting some scaly friends?"

She couldn't tell if he was making fun of her or not, but he had been so off today that she didn't question it. Taking his hand, she allowed herself to relish the feel of his calloused hands.

* * *

A Peruvian Vipertooth and Common Welsh Green were passing back and forth in their cages.

" _Greetings, dragons,"_ Harry hissed at them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Narcissa roll her eyes.

Teddy waited with bated breath, he nearly vibrated with anticipation.

Both the dragons halted their pacing, turning their heads around to look at Harry with large slited gem coloured eyes.

" _Speaker_ ," they said together. Like with Simon, Harry noticed that each dragon had a discernable accent.

" _My name is Harry, this is my son, Teddy, and this is Narcissa Black,_ " he said, their names transformed into something sibilant and foreign. Sure, they could have understand the English, but the more he used this speech the more comfortable it was to use it completely.

" _I am Strider,"_ the Peruvian Vipertooth said.

And the Common Welsh Green said, " _I am Melvin."_

Had Harry been feeling better, he would have laughed out loud, but keeping his cool, he said to Teddy in all seriousness, "Their names are Strider and Melvin, they are pleased to meet you."

" _No,"_ Strider corrected politely, " _we would be pleased to eat you."_

Harry conveyed the message, "Or eat you."

Teddy giggled like a mad man, then started having Harry translate questions of where the dragons were from, if they had families, and how many people they had eaten.

Narcissa watched it all with an amused smiled, but her eyes were cold, distant.

Harry had been too aloof, their date had fallen rather short of what it could have been, and it was his fault.

The dragons for their part were happy to speak to a wizard, and though they answered Teddy's questions, they also described to Harry in great detail how they would like to roast and eat him. Piece by charred piece.

Harry thought it amusing, after the mother Horntail and the Basilisk, not much phased him with reptiles.

* * *

Narcissa was growing quite bored with their game, though Rell seemed to grow ever more amused with himself.

Men.

His hissing at the dragons was raising the hair on her arms, or maybe that was the hungry way the dragons eyed them, their mouths slightly parted.

 _Finally,_ Harry said his sibilant goodbyes to the beasts, and convinced Teddy to move on.

Teddy dragged them over next to the serpents. Serpents that were for sale and the shopkeepers allowed him to hold.

Rell began to hiss at them too, and when the snakes looked at him, flicking their tongues at him, Narcissa put two and two together.

"You're a Parselmouth?" she asked far too sharply, far too loudly.

Every witch and wizard in hearing vicinity whipped their heads around to stare at them.

She saw her mistake in the tightening of his lips, but when he spoke he wasn't upset with her.

"Of course, did you think I spending the better part of an hour making random noises at hungry human-eating dragons?"

She blushed, "I thought it was for Teddy's benefit."

He bent to kiss her cheek. "It was," he said kindly.

She felt her flush deepen. Damn him, he had been an ass all morning, and yet he could so easily unbalance her.

The shop keepers became quickly enamoured of Rell. He ended up having to tell all the shop keepers about how the snakes felt about their living conditions -and breeding conditions. He ended up being so helpful that one Rell showed a liking to a beautiful black and white California Kingsnake, the storekeeper gifted it to him.

Rell still paid for an enclosure and food, but he got a good deal on it. "I suppose I needed a familiar," he told Narcissa.

She just nodded, she didn't know what to do with him, one moment he was brooding and sombre, the next he was the flirtatious family man she had the hots for. She could hardly keep up, and she no longer knew if she wanted to.

She was still trying to wrap her head around him being a Peverell as well as being related to Salazar Slytherin. Well, he wasn't necessarily related to the Slytherin line, but it is doubtless what everyone would believe. She couldn't help thinking what other secrets he was hiding.

When he suggested they return to Hogwarts for lunch she hadn't argued.

She couldn't classify this date as a resounding failure, but neither could she pretend it was a success.

* * *

In the way of Hogwarts and the larger wizarding world in general, everyone knew by dinnertime that Professor Peverell was a Parselmouth.

"He would have been a Slytherin," James said, disgusted at their table.

Sirius shrugged, "Yeah, but he wasn't."

Remus was staring up at his uncle, frowning, something was off about him today.

Other Gryffindors were having similar reactions to the news, and even some of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had a strain of wariness running through them. Though their houses weren't as prone to dislike Slytherins on principal, few would argue that speaking Parseltongue was a Dark Art.

 _And he was supposed to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor._

The Slytherins, were not as quick to believe the rumours, and when everyone had settled into their meals, Montague stood up from the Slytherin table and called out to the head table, "Professor Peverell?"

The handsome professor turned to look at the standing Slytherin student and asked, "Yes, Mr. Montague?"

Whispers burst across the hall, and the boy asked, "Are you really a Parselmouth?"

The room fell silent.

"Yes," the professor said without hesitation.

One of the other Slytherins exclaimed, "Ha! He's one of us!"

And the room burst into sound.

Professor Rell for his part rolled his eyes and returned to the conversation he was having with Professor Flitwick.

Among those most disturbed by this revelation, was none other than Albus Dumbledore.

* * *

The week that passed, Harry settled into himself, both Harry Potter and Harry Peverell, two lives, one person, one soul. Teddy, well Teddy was Teddy. And since he was so young, too young to remember Nymphadora and Remus as parents, Harry decided to keep with the stories of Naomi. He would tell Teddy the full truth once Harry himself had a better explanation, or when or rather _if_ Teddy somehow ended up with duel memories as well.

As Harry figured it, Remus was still Teddy's family, and Teddy would also go to school at the same time as Nymphadora. It wasn't as if he were keeping his son from the other half of himself.

And also, it simply felt right to tell Teddy about Naomi. Neither Harry nor Naomi Peverell had ever willingly _left_ Teddy.

It was in the telling his son about how he came to be named Teddy, that Teddy decided on a name for Harry's familiar, Roosevelt. Though as the little serpent was a girl, they ended up calling the Kingsnake Rosie.

She approved of this name, and she was very pleased to belong to a human who could 'understand' her, read, take orders.

At the end of the week, Horace Slughorn invited Harry over for a drink in his private study. Harry, instead, invited Horace over to his apartment so Teddy could sleep as they chatted.

The man seemed as eager to 'collect' Harry as he had been when Harry was the Boy Who Lived.

"A Parselmouth, my boy, do you have any idea how rare that is?"

Harry nodded. He almost regretted that bit of information getting out, and its resulting drama. But the unforeseen benefit was that the Slytherin students had started to soften up around him, taking his instructions more seriously. Predictably, the Gryffindors, excluding Lily, Sirius, and Remus seemed to feel the opposite.

Harry was less perturbed by this, after all, he had almost been sorted into Slytherin once upon a time, and perhaps he was Slytherin enough to see the advantages an honorary 'Slytherin' status gave him. As most of Voldemort's followers were from Slytherin house, and as most of his followers were still in school, Harry was suddenly presented with the perfect opportunity to truly shift the tide away from the Dark Lord.

It was a dangerous game Harry had begun to entertain, he would have to be careful, ever so careful, to keep Teddy out of harm's way.

It would be safer to lure Voldemort out and execute him, then hunt down the Horcruxes. But death wasn't enough. Sure, it was the thing Voldemort feared most.

But Harry would be all too pleased to teach him a new fear.

Naomi had been afraid of the dark, Harry would ensure that Voldemort learned to fear his own shadow.

"You seem very far away this week," Horace said, then waved a placating hand, "forgive me if I'm being too bold. I'm just an old man."

Harry huffed a laugh, old man his butt. "Just thinking of my wife."

"Ah, yes!" Horace said merrily, "Naomi Lupin, she was one of my favourites, wonderful girl. Ravenclaw, through and through, I've never met anyone with quite the thirst for knowledge as her. We used, that is the staff, used to call her the Girl of Many Questions, or simply the Girl of Questions."

Harry couldn't help but smile at that, Teddy took after his mother in that way.

"I had such hopes for her, her future, but then the attack… I suppose lycanthropy is as great a burden as any."

Harry frowned, "She wasn't a werewolf. Greyback hurt her, he didn't transform her."

Surprise flashed across the man's round face, "Oh, but then, I'm sorry, my boy, it is just, she was dear to me, as she was to many of the staff here. Do you know why she lived in the muggle world? She was quite the skilled witch."

Harry shook his head, "No, but I would like to. I would very much like to know why Tom Riddle made of me a widower."

Horace paled, and took a swig from his drink. "Riddle? No, no that can't be right, Tom was-"

"Tom is a dark lord," Harry said, having no pity for the fool who had given Riddle the key to creating Horcruxes.

More soberly, Horace said, "He is a Parselmouth as well, you know."

"I know," Harry said.

Horace looked up to meet Harry's gaze. "You're a young man," he said with an unexpected intensity. "Handsome as well as powerful."

Harry raised a brow at this, beginning to worry the potions professor was about to make a come on to him.

"It _matters_ ," Horace said.

"What matters?" Harry asked, bewildered.

Horace waved a thick hand down at himself, "They aren't impressed with me, not these latest generations. And my students, Slytherins, purebloods, half-bloods, are coming up on hard times. The old money is drying up and good breeding isn't the same thing as talent or even hard work."

"And my looks 'matter' to that why?" Harry asked.

Horace said gravely, "Because they have no one to look up to. A lot of the muggleborns and half-bloods from other houses come from… hmm, let's say, comparatively stable homes. Upper class or no, Slytherins tend to be outcasts, students who've known hardships early. Good remodels… they don't have a lot of that. But you… you have an opportunity. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Harry sipped his drink before he said, "Yes, I understand, and I mean to help my students, _all_ of my students."

Horace sighed, rubbing his temples, "I fear…"

"War?" Harry asked softly.

The potions professor nodded. "I'm sorry, by the way, for your loss. Naomi was an incredible girl."

Harry looked into his fireplace and asked, "What kind of questions did she ask?"

"Oh, all sorts," Horace laughed, his cheer returning, "And never a redundant question at that, she was sharp as a whip. Asking questions that even I had to research. Minerva and Filius would have debates over the types of questions she asked. We all took bets she would have become a magical theorist. Perhaps get a job at the Department of Mysteries, but she was a bit too wild, too free spirited to work for the government."

"Were their types of questions she would ask most often?"

"Magical Creatures," Horace said without hesitation, "She was obsessed with them. Mind you, not like Newt Scamander is. She wasn't a creature whisperer. I don't think she even had a familiar. But of the secrets and cultures of Magical Creatures, the ones with languages and magicks of their own, _that's_ what really got her mind turning." He sighed regretfully, "Yet another reason the government would have been a poor placement for her."

Harry mulled that over, and his gut told him that the secrets Naomi had died for were of that nature.

After all, hadn't been goblins, centaurs, and unnamed others who had brought him together through space and time?

 _If you have been brought to this vault, you and your heir, the non-humans of our world have decided they would like to see some change._ That's what Ignotus Peverell's note had said.

Harry sipped his drink, and somewhere in all this mystery, Voldemort was connected. Killing and torturing, to suppress information, to gain it. Was it such a stretch that Voldemort was somehow connected to the fates of the 'non-humans' of this world?

Harry thought it wasn't, thought that perhaps Dumbledore's obsession with Horcruxes was misplaced. Voldemort's wars had done far more damage to their world, to communities, human and non-human alike than pertained to the monster's immortality.

Secrets, so many, many secrets.

Whatever Naomi knew, he needed to learn, and whatever it was, he would be sure to make it the ruin of Tom Damned Riddle.

* * *

AN: That's it for the week, now time to finish that thesis about watercolour and 19th-century French fantasy painters. And yes, this is still a Narcissa and Harry fic, but we aren't halfway through this story yet, patience. Thoughts, reactions, suspicions, pretty, pretty please?


	15. Long Walk, Short Pier

AN: It has been a really strange week, on one hand, everything it sucked because people, and on the other… I finished my thesis and I love it! I have never enjoyed or worked so hard on a single paper in my life, and strangest of all, I still love my topic.

P.s.

I am slightly perturbed by y'alls lack of baby dragons. Don't you know I run a reserve in a different universe that would give them paradise? And you, yourselves could visit said baby dragons and not-so-baby dragons, whenever you like at will. Y'all have a disturbing lack of faith, the very idea that I, Jacob M. Apples would part you permanently from your beloved dragons… I found myself disappointed.

But then I do tend to torture y'all and my characters so maybe I deserve it. I'm a bastard, I know, but take it from me and anyone who knows me, I am one of the kindest people toward animals and I know how to work to keep them healthy and happy. I definitely have a higher approval rating with them than with the humans. Can't really imagine why… but there it is. So in sum, if you won't entrust me with your dragons, (stars only know where you keep them), I do invite them into my parallel universe planet, I suggest you don't bring puppies though, most dragons are carnivorous. Now, I do have armies of grad students who would love to meet and/or babysit your puppies ;)

Chapter 15 - Long Walk, Short Pier

Looking into the mouth a gaping hole of darkness, Harry couldn't express his sense of loss. Being displaced from his reality had been disorienting, to say the least.

But this was his home. The same town, the same street, the same house.

A house that was a skeletal blackened shell of what it had once been. The roof was caved in like a poorly constructed tent.

Naomi's house, his house, their home, gone in a blaze.

Carefully Harry entered the structure he had raised his son in.

Everything was black, charred, and he could only vaguely discern where things had been.

When he brushed his hand over the couch, it dissolved in a puff of dust, metal frame included. It was clear it hadn't been a natural fire. And as much as Harry would have loved to place every evil at Voldemort's feet, he had the sense that it wasn't him.

Combing through the house he found nothing he could salvage, nothing.

He slammed his bedroom -what had been his bedroom's door shut. More than stupid given the condition of the place.

The full-length, blackened mirror on the outside of his door shattered.

Harry stepped back and turned to survey the damage, he pulled his wand and flicked it at his wrist where the glass had cut him, then he repaired the glass, or tried to. The mirror shards stayed motionless on the ground.

Gritting his teeth, Harry reached deep into his own pool of power, and tried to repair everything, _anything,_ in the house.

His magic swept through the space, finding the foundation and- nothing.

He felt it then, the black magic, that had remained dormant after the fire, now reactivated by his magic, smoke began to billow out from the holes in the floor.

Harry cursed.

And when he tried to apparate away, he couldn't, clever trap.

Looking around himself to the quickest exit, something on the floor caught his eye. He bent and picked out of the mirror shards a six-pointed star, with long hexagram at its centre. There was gold writing on it that Harry could not decipher, but he could make out the thin lines of Celtic knots. It, unlike the house, didn't have an aura of black magic.

Pocketing the thing, Harry chose to go through the window in what was once Teddy's bedroom.

The glass was long gone, the wooden frame broke like packed snow, but he had the oddest sensation of forcing his way through cotton. It was like swimming through a pillow, and just as suffocating. Holding his breath, he pushed through the illusion and gasped as he made it to the grass.

When he turned the house was ablaze again. The house gave completely, and the walls fell like sticks.

No, not a mundane fire. And what was more, it was activated by Harry's magic. The muggle firefighters had been relatively safe.

It wasn't Voldemort's style, or maybe the trap had been designed that way on purpose. Clearly, whoever had performed arson on the house had known it belonged to a wizard despite the muggle town.

Regardless, Harry needed to get to his next class.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

When Remus's uncle, Professor Rell stormed into class he looked nothing short of formidable.

As he was passing their table he came to a sudden and complete halt.

Turning on them, expression unfathomable, he asked in a cold voice, "Where is Mr. Pettigrew?"

Remus forced himself to stillness, he wouldn't be the one to give them away.

"No idea, Professor," Padfoot lied smoothly. Though he would never be a Slytherin, Sirius had some quirks that made it pretty obvious he had at least been raised by them.

His uncle's eyes did not stay on Sirius, Remus couldn't tell if he believed the lie or not but his eyes narrowed on James with a frightening intensity.

Remus saw that he had black ash on the side of his face, odd, Professor Rell was always immaculate.

James didn't break, "Honest, Professor, he didn't show for lunch."

Remus, refusing to look away and give up the game, realized, for perhaps the first time, how very alike his uncle and James looked. Sure, it was more than likely they were related somehow, but still… if Uncle Rell cut his hair, he would look like an older James with green; green eyes that he had seen before…

No sooner did he think it, than those emerald eyes were on him.

Remus felt sweat bead on his upper lip, he could almost here Sirius, James, and his uncle thinking, _the weak link._

But before he could spill his guts, his uncle sighed, and continued to the front of the class. "Cushioning charms," he announced, "next week we start using stunners and you will be responsible for your fainting self."

Considering they had only been learning protection charms and anti-curses, and every one of them had at some point worried about their life and sanity in previous weeks, no one complained about cushioning charms when offensive spells were next on the docket.

People spent the class falling forward on their hands, a few people bruised their knees and elbows, and few unlucky ones smacked their heads. The girls, Slytherin and Gryffindor, just folded back in a sitting position. Three of the boys had to go to see Madame Pompfry with self-inflicted injuries, Professor Rell showed them not the slightest bit of pity.

* * *

"I'm disappointed Pettigrew didn't show up," Severus said on their way to the library.

Lily gave him an askance look, "Why?"

"Did you see Professor Peverell? He came in with a right temper, I would have loved to see him chew out that little worm."

She wrinkled her nose, "He's the worst."

It was Severus's turn to make a face, "Potter is the worst." He knew she didn't mean the professor, she was one of the few Gryffindors who didn't hold the Peverell's near-official Slytherin status against him.

"No," she said loftily, "He's the most annoying, and Black is the most childish. But Pettigrew… he's… well, he's the worst."

Severus stopped, "Did that rat do something to you?"

She stopped too but wouldn't meet his gaze, "No, it's… it's just the way that he looks at me, and at the other girls. The younger girls too. He creeps me out."

"Potter drools over you all the time."

She shrugged, "He's a dunderhead, but I don't think he would hurt me. Pettigrew… I don't know, it's just a feeling, a bad one."

Severus looped his arm with hers, "You spend all your free time with a Slytherin, and yet it's that whelp that scares you? He can't even aim."

She leaned into him and whispered, "I think I saw him coming out of the girls' lavatory once. He was lurking, and… Severus, can you just trust me? There's something wrong with him."

"Dropped on his head one too many times?" Severus asked.

"More like out of a moving car," Lily muttered. "I swear, Potter wouldn't be that bad without him around. I don't know why anyone would be friends with that creep."

"I'll hex him next time I see him lurking around on his own," Severus said, only half-joking in attempt to cheer her up.

She didn't tell him not, and _that_ gave Severus the chills.

* * *

Vellin swam in a spiral down to the bottom of the lake, her tail flicking through the water excitedly.

"He started!" she sang through the water.

Aslin came out to greet her followed by several other merpeople.

"Finally," said one mermaid, crossing her arms, "Took him long enough."

"Are you sure?" Vellin asked her.

She nodded and did a backward flip, "The centaurs confirmed it."

"Did he find it?" he asked.

She snorted, "Of course he didn't, Naomi Lupin did write down the answer. That would have been simple and we could have done this shit ourselves."

"But he found something, something our side didn't?" he pressed.

She nodded, "Centaurs didn't say what, just that he was-" she made water quotes with her fingers, "-he had found the correct path."

Harla hissed, "I hate that we have to rely on a wizard for this."

Vellin shook his head, his dark green hair billowing side to side, "I just hope the goblins don't screw this up for us."

They all sighed, no one _liked_ working with the goblins.

* * *

Cygnus kissed his daughter's brow, "Are you sure you are fine to head back on your own?"

For the hundredth time, Narcissa nodded, "Yes, Father, I'm fine. I'm just going to stop by Diagon Alley."

He frowned.

"It isn't late yet," she argued.

"Yes, but it gets dark earlier these days."

She kissed his cheek, "I'm a grown witch, I can take care of myself."

"Yes, but, it costs me nothing to go out-"

"Father, I appreciate you, but I need some time to myself. I promise to curse anyone who looks at me too long."

He kissed her cheek again, and she started down the street.

"Narcissa," he called, she looked back, and he said, "About Professor Peverell, I approve."

Her lips twitched. "You are only saying that because you heard he's a Parselmouth," she called back.

He grinned and waved, "That's good blood, daughter, take it or kill it."

The old phrase made her laugh in this context. She blew him a kiss and turned back into the night, walking in the shadows of old street lamps.

She made it to the store half an hour before closing. Her new robes -not that she could wear them at work, were ready.

She had planned to blow Rell off his feet… but, she sighed as she exited the shop. Rell…

"Well, if it isn't one of the Black sisters," a man said from around the corner.

She looked up and reached for her wand as several black cloaks surrounded her.

One of them laughed, "It's the pretty one, I can't wait to see that pretty blonde head of yours-"

Her curse struck him in a silent strip of indigo, his mask melted to his face and he dropped to the ground.

They converged on her, growling expletives.

She downed two more, one fell screaming as a sensation like fire ants crawled under his skin, the other passed out when her spell cut him throw the shoulder. She got one guy in the foot before they physically wrestled her wand from her.

She snarled at them.

And was greeted with a backhanded slap from the man's whose foot was bleeding out into the streets.

"Blacks, batshit crazy fuckers," he snarled.

Including, bleeding one, only he and one other were standing. The other was a big man with large meaty hands, he held her easily and cared not at all for her struggles.

"You going to play nice now, 'Cissy'?" he asked, lifting his mask. She realized who it was, "I am due a black sister."

She spat in his face, "Go take a long walk off a short pier, Lestrange."

He opened his mouth, and he must have heard something behind him, because like the coward he was, disapparated.

Without any command, the other pushed her onto the ground before making his own get away.

Aurors spilled into the alley, apprehending the two she had downed, and taking stock of the bodies of the two she had killed.

"Narcissa," Kingsley's voice rumbled.

She looked up at him gratefully, taking his offered hand to help her to her feet.

She looked around and found that her robe box had survived unscathed. She held out her hand and accioed her wand silently. It didn't come, so she tried it aloud, "Accio Wand."

It didn't come.

A sense of deepest loss overcame her.

Kingsley put a hand on her shoulder, "We'll get it back."

She wasn't going to hold her breath.

"Are you going back home or to Hogwarts?" Kingsley asked, not having to ask what happened to the men who had tried to jump her.

"Hogwarts," she said, she would not be able to face Father like this, he wouldn't let her out of the house alone again until she was married. She glared around at the other Aurors, "My involvement in this better stay out of the papers, and if it does, I hex any of you who lets it slip that my wand was taken into the next century."

"Lady, you care about your, wand, not that you killed two people?" one of the Aurors asked, outraged.

"Shut it, Lockhart," Kingsley growled, "It was self-defence. Come on, Narcissa, I'll escort you back. I have business at Hogwarts at any rate. Dumbledore has some explaining to do."

"What did the old coot do now?" she asked as he bent to pick up her robe box.

He offered his arm, "I'm certain you will hear tomorrow, either in the papers, or an announcement from Dumbledore himself tomorrow morning. Suffice it to say, he's fucked up."

Frowning, and feeling as if she had lost a limb without her wand as she took hold of her soon to be brother-in-law's arm, Kingsley disapparated them.

* * *

"Potter, Black, Lupin," Jordan the prefect called to them, he shook James awake.

Remus was already up, and had been before Jordan had entered their room.

"What is it?" he asked.

James groaned, and rolled over to grab his glasses.

Sirius slid to the floor off his bed, "I'm up, I'm up." He rested his head back on the side of the bed, "What time is it?"

"Nearly Two in the morning," Jordan said sourly. "McGonagall what's to see you three in her office."

"Now?" Sirius whined, sinking all the way to the floor, pulling his blanket with him.

" _Now,_ " Jordan stressed, then walked out slamming the door behind him.

"He's the one who wanted to be a prefect," Sirius sneered at the door.

"I'm a prefect," Remus said, "Jordan and Paulson just got off their rounds, I think."

James slipped on his robe, "Well, let's go."

"What's this about, anyhow?" Sirius asked with a yawn, pulling himself up with the bed poster, before getting his arm stuck into inside out robe.

"What do you think it's about," Remus said angerly, he had been up all night with the map, "Peter still hasn't come back yet."

"Wormtail will come back," Sirius said with another yawn, finally getting his robe straight and belted, "he always comes back. Do you remember when we first tried to shake him in our first and second year? He doesn't quit."

"Let's go," James said, not sounding as certain as Sirius yet not as panicked as Remus felt he ought to be.

Where ever Peter was, he wasn't in Hogwarts.

McGonagall's office wasn't far, and they were all surprised to find not just their Head of House but also Professor Rell, he stood behind her leaning against the bookshelf.

"What's he doing here?" James asked.

Rell's stony expression to flicker a bit.

"Have a seat you three," McGonagall said, her voice sombre as they had ever heard it.

They sat in the three chairs, and waited in silence for one of the professors to speak.

McGonagall leaned forward and sighed. With one hand, she squeezed her spectacle with the other, she rubbed at eyes with her fingers, "Rell, if you would, please?" Her voice almost broke after the last word.

"Ordinarily," Rell began, his voice sounded ominous in the room lit only by the fire place and a few candles, "The Headmaster and Aurors would be questioning you. But Albus Dumbledore has taken responsibility for the Vanishing Cabinet being left on the first floor, and the Aurors have agreed it was an accident, and Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew have waved their right to press charges. But you need to answer us honestly, who was responsible for pushing Mr. Pettigrew into the Vanishing Cabinet and what did you _think_ was going to happen to him?"

Remus felt the world fall out from under him, and he was glad he was already sitting. He asked in a breathless voice, "Is he dead?"

Sirius and James turned horrified expressions on him.

"No," James said, then again with more adamantly, " _No._ He can't be dead. It was just a harmless prank. We put a tracking charm on him and everything just in case he got lost."

Sirius gave James a pitying look, but Remus looked back at the professors, waiting for them to say, 'No, he's not dead, but he is at St. Mungo's.'

Instead, McGonagall sniffed and looking up she said, "Yes, Mr. Peter Pettigrew is dead. And _no_ , Mr. Potter, a harmless prank it was not."

Remus put his hands over his face and tried to breathe, _no, no, no._

"What happened, exactly?" his uncle asked, he sounded rather indifferent, maybe a hint of anger but no sadness.

Remus let his hands fall to his lap, and met his uncle's gaze. He wondered if the wizard had disliked Peter so much that he wouldn't care if a student died.

If that were so, then perhaps his uncle really would have been a Slytherin, and not one of the decent ones.

Remus was going to explain it all, but Sirius beat him to it. James was still in shock.

"We got the message that pranks were bad, and that your new professor hear wasn't going to tolerate it. So we scaled back, we thought, 'no one's going to care if we prank each other.' James and I planned it out, and we got Remus to hold Peter back from lunch, after the crowd passed, I pushed him in as he was walking by."

James shook his head, "Sirius opened the doors, I pushed Peter in. This is my fault." He looked at Remus and Sirius, and the look…

Remus knew James had a good heart, because, in that moment, he saw the heartbreak at Peter's death, and the fact that Remus and Sirius were about to be expelled. James didn't care in that moment a wit for himself, and Remus was certain that he would have traded spots with Peter in a heartbeat.

And to prove him right, James asked, "Are Sirius and Remus going to be expelled? It wasn't their fault," he repeated, "it was mine."

"I'm glad that's registered," Rell said harshly.

"None of you are being expelled," McGonagall said tiredly, "Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew insisted no punishment be given. And accidents do happen. If the Vanishing Cabinet hadn't been broken, hadn't been left out, this wouldn't have happened." She paused before saying, "However, I believe living with this will be hard enough. You understand that the mysterious circumstances of Mr. Pettigrews body being found in a shop in Knockturn Alley will not stop the other assumptions students will make? Your part in his death will not be publicized, but neither will the staff suppress rumours. The consequences of this will be far reaching."

They all nodded.

"I'm so sorry," Remus squeezed out of his throat, not sure if he was talking to McGonagall, his uncle, or the universe. "I'm so sorry." He wiped viciously at the tears.

"I think, Mr. Lupin, it would be best to save apologies for Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew at the funeral."

Remus had to fight to keep from curling in on himself.

James was shaking in his seat, and seemed to be fighting down tears.

Sirius looked blankly off into space, and sat so still it was almost as if he wasn't there at all.

"Mr. Potter," Professor Rell began sternly, "would you feel as badly as you do now if it had been Mr. Snape who you pushed into the cabinet?"

James' sorrow seemed to turn to anger, "What kind of question is that? Peter is my friend."

Rell nodded, "It seems it needs to be impressed upon you that your actions have repercussions."

James stood to his feet, his chair clattering to the floor, "My friend is dead! I get it! _I bloody well get it!"_

Rell didn't flinch and stated calmly. "It would matter less to you if it had been Mr. Snape rather than Mr. Pettigrew who died."

" _Yes!"_ James shouted at him.

"And yet, it would matter no less to Mrs. Snape than it does to Mrs. Pettigrew that her son is dead."

Silence.

James looked as if he had just been punched in the gut, and seemed to deflate where he stood.

"Bastard," Sirius muttered under his breath.

Rell turned on him, "And Mr. Black, is your future more important than preserving a friendship with someone who has no consideration for your circumstances?"

Sirius bared his teeth, "Long walk, short pier, asshole."

"Mr. Black," McGonagall reprimanded, though with less force than normal.

Uncle Rell was undeterred, "I may not have been raised in the wizarding world, but my wife explained to me the history of House Black. Do you think the law will be sympathetic to you in the future? Gryffindor or no, there may come a day when your friends are not around to help you and your actions are left to be judged with every bias against you present."

Sirius stiffened, "That's not fair."

"Life seldom is."

"Enough," McGonagall said, "Go back to bed, all of you, sleep if you can. I expect you to attend all your classes, homework completed."

Remus wished they would expel, give them detention, anything, but being made to go to class, to proceed like nothing had happened or changed…

It really was the worst punishment of all.

"Remus," Rell called as they three headed for the door, "a word."

Sirius and James gave him miserable expressions, and McGonagall followed those two out, clearly wanting to speak with them alone as well. Remus and his uncle, McGonagall and her two favourite students.

Coming around the desk, Uncle Rell spoke in a softer tone than he had used all evening, "Remus, would you like me to write a letter home, explain what happened?"

"It was an accident," Remus said without thinking, "You didn't have to be so cruel to James and Sirius."

"Yes, I did. They both have peculiarly thick skulls."

"Why do you hate them so much?"

His uncle smiled a little, and shook his head, "Quite the contrary, I assure you, but no one wants a repeat of this incident."

"Don't act like you care, you hated Peter the most, I saw it! And I think it's why you never have Teddy around for our classes. But you know what? You're wrong, Peter was my friend!"

Uncle Rell said nothing.

Remus suddenly had the urge to hit him. He wanted this calm, self-contained man to hurt like he was hurting. It was irrational, but he was out of control, and it was the new moon tonight so he had no excuse for what he did next. "I don't know why Aunt Naomi married a cad like you! You're an awful, heartless person! And there's a reason why your son is freakishly quiet! And it's because of you!"

He said nothing, and it was Remus' heavy breathing that filled the room.

Remus felt himself flush, and he swallowed, gaining control of his breathing but refusing to apologize. Screw him.

His uncle sighed, "Remus, losing a friend… You're never going to be the same again. I've made my mistakes. I lost my godfather in a series of poor decisions."

Remus just shook his head, crossing his arms, and digging his own nails into his biceps until he was sure there would be bruises to the sacred flesh.

"Remus, this was not your fault, I know it feels that way but-"

"You told me once to not let strangers define me, Peter, James, and Sirius are not strangers."

"No, they are not. So let me just say this, inaction can be as dangerous as action. I am not saying you should go running to the authority at every turn. But asking for help is not weakness, following others blindly is."

"I wasn't blind. I knew it was a bad idea and helped anyway. This was my fault."

"Then perhaps, speaking up for yourself would have been wise."

"I did!" Remus all but cried, "I told them it was a bad idea! I told them, I-" he cut himself off. Then said, "This is my fault."

His uncle approached him then, and tapped on his head, "Then next time, use your head, make them hear you. As I said, those two have thick skulls. And Remus, you don't have to do everything your friends tell you to do, you are your own person. Granted, it seems likely nothing short of going to a professor would have stopped them. But in the future, you need to make your own choices, and that doesn't necessarily mean you cut yourself off from everyone. If they are your friends, they will respect you."

Remus felt like crying again and hated it, "But they're all I've got aside from my parents. I'm a werewolf, I'm-"

The older wizard put his hand on his shoulders, "A good person."

Remus felt something break inside him as he looked up at this man, "How- How can you say that- after- after- what I've done?"

"Life goes on, tomorrow will come, and the day after that. It doesn't stop for our woes, it doesn't forgive, because it goes on regardless of right or wrong. Therefore it is for us to decide whether or not we keep trying."

Remus cried then, ugly, loud, snotty tears, and Professor Peverell wrapped him in a hug. He didn't know if it was because they were family or because Remus had been wrong before, well, wrong again.

His uncle did have a heart.

* * *

AN: Comments, reactions, predictions, or concerned rabbits?


	16. Red Roses

I'm back! And here's a convenient, **skippable** at your pleasure, **recap** for this fantasy/mystery/drama/time travel/AU:

Harry and Teddy were brought back in time, merged with their Brother Souls (as I've been conceptualising them) which created an Alternative Universe, masterminded by none other than the long dead Ignotus Peverell, a metric ton of pixie dust, the goblins, the centaurs, the merfolk, and undisclosed others.

From the second chap to the latest, Harry has now regained full memories of both souls and has more life experience but isn't exactly older. Teddy has overlapping memories of being a baby, those of being a Peverell are prominent but he's too young to understand any minor differences.

Naomi Lupin Peverell was murdered by Voldemort as were Harry Peverell's parents in this universe, leading him to be raised with Vernon and Marge Dursley (shudders). Naomi died with her secrets, all of them, except for a metal starlike object-thingy she hid in a mirror. Harry is now hell bent on discovering what her secrets were, meaning he will have to learn them for himself.

Secrets Voldemort is aware of and believes can 'change everything' which presumably should tell you it isn't horcruxes (because honestly, that would be easy and boring and not mysterious at all).

Harry's timing of regaining these memories ruined his date with Narcissa. Narcissa who is now disheartened, visits her father and gets mugged by Death Eaters. She kills a few and loses her wand.

Oh, and Peter's dead. He, unlike Montague, didn't survive the fall. One might say, I made an example out of him.

Where does this all leave us? Harry is one person, Teddy is adorable, Nymphadora is possibly a visionary and also adorable, Narcissa is a young woman with a vicious streak, Bella is getting hitched to a certain Shacklebolt, the Marauders are reeling with the chance to truly grow up, Voldemort is scrambling, I'm ready to spin a tale of magic, and you….. Please, do let me know?

* * *

AN: Now we're off! Forgive me for the long recap, but even I had to reread to make sure I had my hat on straight as well as a short chapter as I get back into the swing of pure Potter.

* * *

Thank you to all of the reviewers, it is to you I post :D

* * *

Chapter 16 - Red Roses

One week had passed, one long week filled with stares, whispered rumours, and soft consolations. Dumbledore had faced a lot of heat in the papers, parents sending an endless stream of owls, asking that the safety measures at Hogwarts be re-examined.

Which only added to the Marauders already drowning levels of guilt.

Their parents responses had been…

Padfoot, Prongs, and Moony were sitting in the common room sitting on the floor by the fire.

The cold had sunk into their bones as the end of autumn approached its end.

They sat in silence, a silence that had stretched for days but what felt like years.

Finally, Prongs moved, yanking their map out of his pocket, "He's dead because of me."

Moony shook his head, "No, I was supposed to be the voice of reason."

"We all killed him," Padfoot said, his tone flat. "We each played a part. It doesn't matter who's more guilty, he's dead."

Prongs said softly, "We called him Wormtail… even if he was a rat…" He stood shaking his head, "It's over, this has to end."

Padfoot didn't move, Moony curled in on himself and asked in a small voice, "We're over?"

Prongs shook his head again, "His name was Peter Pettigrew, he was not a rat, he was a boy." And then he ripped the map into four parts, he threw one in.

He handed two of the pieces to Moony and Padfoot, before throwing his piece into the fire. He said with finality, "James Potter."

Padfoot got to his feet, Moony scrambling to his too, both gripped their piece of the map, the symbol, the tool, of their friendship, their adventures, their misdeeds.

Padfoot flicked the scrap that he had helped charm for painstaking hours with what he had believed to be his forever friends, his true family. "Sirius Black."

Moony was shaking, the last piece of the map crumpling in his hand as he clung to it, but after a moment, that piece too met the flames, "Remus Lupin."

They hadn't erased their past, they just had acknowledged that there was no going back to who they had been. Some things were permanent, some mistakes can't be healed.

Magic could not solve everything.

James, Sirius, and Remus went to bed. They slept through the night for the first time since they had learned of Peter's death. They did not feel noticeably better when they woke, but though the past could not be changed, they could be.

* * *

"That isn't enough," Harry said to the class, "It isn't enough to say the words and to wave your wands. You must visualize what you want to happen."

He clapped his hands together and the desks lined up against the walls. He pulled some marbles from his pocket and threw them into the air, flicking his wand out, he transfigured them into decently sized glass bottles. Each was a different colour, with swirling patterns that mimicked the marbles they had been. They rested themselves atop the tables.

"Everyone line up."

His fifth years did so without argument, at this point, they had all learned to do as told and try their best to anticipate the crazy that would befall them.

But Professor Peverell had a fluency with crazy that might take several lifetimes of insanity to match.

"Turn away from the tables."

They did so, all of them, shoulder to shoulder, facing the windows.

"Now aim for the bottles without turning around to see them."

There was a quiet stillness, then Lily threw her arm back over her shoulder to try to hit one of the bottles. She got the spell off, but missed the bottle by a long shot.

"Aim for the bottles," Harry instructed.

"How are we supposed aim if we can't look at them!?" one Slytherin exclaimed.

"Do you know what the bottles look like?"

"Yes."

"Did you see where they were?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to hit them?"

"YES! But-"

"Then hit them," Harry said blandly.

Sirius was the first one to get it, he pointed his wand forward, it bounced off the windowpane and shattered one of the bottles behind him.

This hadn't been exactly what Harry had meant, and he watched in amusement, shield charm at the ready as students followed Sirius's example with the resulting chaos of ricocheting spells and broken windows, which denigrated into duelling. Duelling that Harry let them sort out themselves as no one was foolish enough to try anything that would cause real harm.

The class was over before anyone figured out an alternative to taking out the bottles.

"We will try again next week," he said as they left.

Teddy was with Hagrid, because this was their day. Harry shuffled the essays he had collected. Short response essays, so naturally Lily gave him double of what he asked for. He felt sort of bad for giving her a quarter of her grade just for that, but sometimes students needed to learn to follow instructions.

There was also strength in brevity.

Sighing, Harry locked the essays in his drawl. He would see what trouble Hagrid and Teddy were getting into, maybe join in until it was time for lunch.

But he did not get out of the castle before coming across a room that had flashes of light seeping under the door and muttered curses.

Curiosity, having always been his downfall, he knocked on the door.

Sound stopped, and when no response came, he opened the door.

Narcissa stood in the centre of room, glaring at him. Her blonde curls falling around her shoulders, her cheeks flushed, and even in the conservative healer garb, she was beautiful.

And her gaze was glacial.

"Are you alright?" he asked, hesitating in the doorway. He had owed her an apology for a while now but he barely saw her at meals and there just hadn't been a moment to…

"Why do you care?" she asked turning her back him and throwing a spell at the wall. The magic was wild, producing more light than damage.

He closed the door behind him, stepping into the room. "Without a wand," he offered, "You have to focus more on the goal than summoning of the magic. It will come if you want it to."

She ignored him, but as she didn't snap at him to leave, he approached cautiously. He summoned a small spark of his power then shot his palm forward obliterating a chair to ash.

Narcissa turned to glare at him, "How?"

He showed her again.

It took her a few tries before she almost blasted a hole in the wall, there was at least a sizable chunk of stone missing from the wall.

Half joking, half not, he asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She glared at him.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?" she asked drily, "you do not owe me anything, Professor."

He so deserved that, "I'm sorry about our date. I was disrespectful."

"No, you were distant and detached. I get that I was too forward the first time, but I will not be played with."

"It was… It was bad timing. I was an ass and that had nothing to do with you."

"Of course not," she said, raising her chin.

Damn him, he wanted to smile at her. But choosing self-preservation, "I don't have a good reason for my behaviour, my explanation isn't comforting."

"Try me."

He did. "You know I'm a widower."

She waited, looking at him expectantly.

His throat tightened, "I- I think I was suppressing memories of her. Naomi, that night I had dreams about her. I knew how she died, I'm the one who found her, but… God, this sounds stupid, but I _remembered_ her. I remembered that day. It all caught up to me."

Narcissa's face softened but her gaze was still wary, "You could have told me, or you could have cancelled the date, and just said you weren't feeling well, I would have been disappointed but I wouldn't have been-" she cut herself off.

She wouldn't have been _hurt_.

He was a bastard. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"So why didn't you?" she asked, her voice harsh, telling him that he had indeed hurt her more than he had thought.

"Teddy wanted to go…"

"And you would do anything for him."

He took a breath, met her gaze and said the truth, "Yes, I would, and for me, Teddy is always going to come first."

Definitely a bastard.

But the ice in her gaze thawed, "I can respect that."

He blinked, "You do?"

She nodded, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. He had never seen Mrs. Malfoy in anything but a bun or updo. He liked it down. "My mother is horrid, and my father was more hands off than he ought to have been when my sisters and I were younger. I like how involved you are with your son. You could have given him to a nanny, put him in daycare, but you can hardly stand to be away from him for a few hours."

He winced, hearing it stated like that… "Some might call that unhealthy."

"For a man, perhaps some might say that, but it is the standard to which most women are held to." She shook her head, "Well, my _mother_ would have called it coddling and considered it weakness, mother or father."

"She sounds like a bitch," he said before thinking.

Narcissa laughed, the sound clear and lovely.

He tried to keep his expression unmoved, but he must have failed because she sauntered forward.

She looked at him as if he were prey, but he didn't move away as she reached up to straighten the already straight folds of his robes at the collar.

"When I have children," she said in a voice that made Harry have to brace himself against lest his legs become unsteady, "I want to dote on my children. I want a true family."

He thought of the Malfoys, of Draco; an only child, lonely, selfish, and spoiled rotten, always reaching for the distant approval of a father and hiding behind his mother's skirts.

"Teddy is spoiled," he confessed, "but he knows boundaries. He knows he can't have everything he wants." Of course, Teddy didn't ask for much, and when he did Harry often accommodated, but there were still limits.

Draco hadn't known limits.

Narcissa flattened her palms over his chest, and he knew she must have felt his heart jackhammering to meet her touch.

"I want at least three children, it's hard to be spoiled rotten if you have to share your parents with others."

Carefully, he put his hands at her sides, "I've heard stories about your sisters."

She laughed again, his heart skipped as he watched her eyes shift to a fuller, darker blue. "Oh, Mr. Peverell, the stories do not compare."

Deliberately, she reached her hands up to his neck, to pull him to her. He went willingly, her lips as soft and lush as he remembered.

And before he was ready, she was gone. Releasing him and sweeping out of the room before he could register what had happened.

Harry was left standing in an empty room, the touch of her lips on his felt like an imprint on his very soul.

* * *

"I'm going to murder them," Bella said, "I'm going to murder them all."

Kingsley kissed her temple and she swatted him away, standing, she glared at her youngest sister, "You could have been killed."

Narcissa glared right back, "I killed two of them."

"They took your wand!"  
"I know," she said quietly, "I just told you that."

"Have you found a substitute?" Andromeda asked, being the sanest person in the room.

Nymphadora came careening into the room at top speed, giggling madly, she tripped, slid under the dining room table and took out to unoccupied chairs.

Andromeda gave Bella a look.

"What?" she snapped.

"You are a terrible influence."

"No, I'm not!"

Ted came into the room at a run, "Dora! Give me back my wand!"

Giggles from under the tablecloth were all he received in reply.

"Nymphadora," Andromeda chided.

A small hand wrapped around wand popped out from beneath the table, and poked gently at Narcissa's side, "Here, Aunt Cissa, a new wand."

Narcissa flipped up the tablecloth to see her niece on her back, her hair a wild mass of indigo blue curls. She bent to pick her up into her lap. Hugging the small girl to her chest she took the proffered wand.

The immediate wrongness of it in her hand gave her chills. She passed it back to Ted without a word.

"Thank you," he said.

Nymphadora crossed her arms and pouted at them all.

"We didn't come here to talk about my wand troubles. I just that you should know," she said, and added mentally, or before Kingsley told them.

Andromeda pulled her wand, two large photo albums appeared. "Here's what we did for my wedding."

Bella looked suddenly nervous, "I don't want a large wedding."

"Really?" Narcissa asked, she did. She had been plotting her wedding for years.

"I didn't want to get married."

Kingsley wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down to him, "I'm so glad you changed your mind."

He said it low in her sister's ear, Narcissa felt a stab of jealousy. Why couldn't Rell be that forward?

Of course, she didn't really want their relationship to be… she looked at her eldest sister and the handsome Auror.

Okay, she wanted to be that happy, that secure, but she didn't want to be that dependant. Bella had issues that a lesser man than Kingsley wouldn't have been able to handle.

Narcissa didn't want to be handled, she wanted a partner.

Merlin, she was a fool. She had semi-fallen in love with the perfect man.

The problem with perfect men was that they weren't. Hadn't she learned her lesson with Lucius?

Rell was still hung up on his ex.

Okay, not his ex, his dead wife who had left him on his own with a son.

Yeah, that wasn't something he could just get over, it would always be a part of him, a part of Teddy, that loss, those scars.

But then, didn't she have her own scars?

She was a Black after all, and no matter who she became, she would always be a Black, be a part of this batshit crazy family.

She hugged her niece closer to her, wondering if she could make things work with Rell, wondering if she wanted to, wondering if he would accept her scars, if she could accept his.

She knew only that she still wanted to try, that the taste of his lips was, indeed, something she wanted.

He had been a bastard, but he had apologized, hadn't he?

Lucius would have died before apologizing to her.

"Earth to Narcissa," Andromeda called, waving a hand in front of her face.

She blinked up at her sister, "Yes?"

"Are you alright being in charge of the guest list?" she repeated her question.

Narcissa nodded, Bella would be involved in the decision making, but Andromeda and Narcissa were likely going to have to pull this thing together. Though being in charge of the guest list meant that she would take the heat for inviting 'blood traitors' and 'mudbloods' to the event. But sitting in this house, her niece held in her arms, she found that she didn't much care.

And among Kingsley many talents, wedding planning just wasn't among them.

"Here," Andromeda said, reaching for the second photo-album, the first having been more a scrapbook of ideas, swaths of materials, colours, and table toppers. "This is what my-"

Bella slammed the album shut.

Andromeda looked startled and a bit hurt, her face settling on impassive looking at their sometimes unstable sister.

But Bella just shook her head, her sleek dark hair sliding out of one of the many clips, "No," she flicked her eyes at Kingsley, "I want to wear your dress."

Andromeda's smile lit up the whole room.

And Narcissa grinned too, though Kingsley, who had gone to Andromeda's wedding, and therefore already knew what the dress looked like, hugged her tightly.

"I can't wait to see you in white," he said.

She scoffed, "It will be the first and last time, and I want the flowers to be red, blood red."

Nymphadora clapped her hands, her hair turning scarlet, "Red roses!"

Narcissa's niece liked flowers. At least now she knew what to get her for her birthday. Or partly, she knew she had a lot to make up for.

* * *

AN: Comments, reactions, suggestions, or bemused gerenuks?


	17. Relations

Chapter 17 - Relations

Was it stupid to think they might have a chance?

Was it stupider that even with the feel of Rell's lips like a phantom warmth on her lips a part of her was still comparing him to Lucius?

Yes, it was stupid. Because men were stupid. And the more perfect Rell seemed the more of a trap her feelings were.

Because Lucius had been perfect, had set all the cards right, had been the natural step to take in her life. And he had given her heart back in ribbons.

Whereas Rell… Rell had refused to take her heart even as he fanned the flames, even as he made her long for things she had never thought was possible to share with a man.

He hadn't pushed after asking her out again, they hadn't kissed again since she left, but they had spent nearly every evening with each other between the last period of the day and dinner. Teddy had watched on playing with his kitten or toys in the warded section of Rell's classroom as he trained her in wandless magic.

And Merlin help her, he wasn't just a powerful wizard, he was an outstanding teacher. Wandless magic was still difficult for her, but those were her shortcomings, her own head getting in her way, not his lack of instructions.

He had been the perfect gentlemen, he had flirted enough to let her feel appreciated but not so much as to distract from what he was trying to teach her. And he was patient with her, and accepted her anger and frustration with not so much as condescending curl of lips. Not even her father her treated her thus, beyond respect, he treated her like an equal, not a lady, not even a comrade.

Rell treated her like a person.

Lucius had treated her like a lady. And a part of her missed the blonde bastard, because Narcissa knew how to be a lady. She had been raised to keep her emotions on a tight leash, to be proper and respectable where Bella was wild and Andromeda was rebellious.

Narcissa Black knew how to be perfect. But she didn't know how to be equal to a man who was incredibly powerful as he was kind, to be completely mysterious yet painfully candid.

She didn't know what she was doing with Henry Peverell.

She had her gaze downcast, watching the cobblestones as she navigated them with heeled boots. Lost in thought, none other than Lucius Malfoy caught her unawares on the street of Diagon Alley.

"Miss Black," he simpered, steadying her with a manicured hand.

Rell's hands were calloused.

She pushed back from him, raising her chin. "Malfoy," she said with not an ounce of emotion. She would not yield to him, not a centimetre.

"What brings you away from your new position?" he asked casually, without any of the hostility he had thrown at her last.

She was not fooled, even as she noted the way his fair hair framed his sharp features, his grey eyes sparkling with intelligence and cunning.

This man had once been hers.

She would have been this man's wife, if not for a twist of fate.

If not for her sister's choices.

"My business is my own," she answered. He likely knew she did not have a wand, and despite Rell's instructions, she needed a new one.

"Of course, we parted on-" he hummed, "less than pleasant terms. I let my temper get away from me, inexcusable. But I found myself grateful for this chance meeting. Though I do not expect you to accept my apologies, I must nevertheless apologize for my conduct toward you and my words against your sisters. Bellatrix has done well for herself, I must congratulate you on a Shacklebolt entering the fold. Andromeda's choices do not reflect on you, and of course, my behavior was unacceptable. Nothing, Narcissa, nothing I said or implied about you was the truth, only my misplaced anger."

It was a simple thing to keep her face still.

She remembered thinking that Lucius would never apologize, not as Rell had, and he hadn't. Lucius's honeyed words were not an apology, they were a ploy.

"What do you want?" she asked with more harshness than she had wanted to let slip.

He bowed his head, and she watched as he lied with not just his silvered tongue but his expression, his body language, "A chance to make amends."

But Narcissa was no fool.

"No," she said shortly.

His shoulders rounded as if she had struck him a blow. She hadn't, he would have to see her as more than an object in order to do him any sort of harm.

She could, of course, harm his pride. But that could be a dangerous game. She was all but unarmed and though the stores were still open, it was getting dark. She had planned to get a wand and begone.

But Lucius had other plans.

"Please, Narcissa, we were betrothed, give me one more chance," he said pleadingly, his gaze earnest, "I will not fail you again."

She might have believed him, if she had not known him. Lucius Malfoy was many things, _earnest_ was not among them.

"No."

"Narcissa, please-"

"Did I ever give you the impression that I was the forgiving sort? If so, then I suppose it is I who must apologize for giving you false expectations."

She saw his jaw twitch, the vein at his temple strain.

She was able to hide her smirk with more ease, but then of the two of them, she had always possessed greater control.

"Let me take you to dinner."

"At your master's bidding or your own arrogance in believing I would even entertain such an offer?"

"This is against the Dark Lord's wishes. I am no one's dog. I want you back, Cissa. There is none who compare to you."

For a heartbeat, her heart betrayed her.

Lucius was easy, even if he was using her, she knew how to behave with him, she knew what he wanted, she knew him.

And a part of her missed him. Missed him more than a potential spouse. She missed his company, his friendship. Even if he had hurt her, they had been friends once. He had courted her with sincerity and dignity.

She wanted to give him a chance, she wanted him to make amends, not because she would take him back, no, he had severed her trust completely, but to make amends and prove that her affection for him had not been wholly mistaken. That in the handful of people she had felt true compassion for, she had not failed.

"Please," Lucius said, reaching a hand out her, "one chance."

She was about to shake her head when a sense of peace overcame her.

"Please," he said again, "one chance, one meal, just take my hand."

 _Take his hand._

She took his hand, the unease caused by Lucius saying please twice was washed away, forgotten on that breath of peace she felt with her hand in his. His touch was familiar, the brief moment of tranquility was replaced with that safe familiarity.

She had always belonged on his arm.

He took her to restaurant too far from Olivander's shop, she would have to return tomorrow.

But that was alright. Enough people saw her on his arm that there would be gossip, and if something happened to her, Lucius would be held responsible.

He would not tarnish his name like that. Bowing to a Dark Lord in the shadows was one thing, doing physical harm to his ex-fiancé where rumors would spread was another.

No. She was safe, within reason.

He ordered for her after the waiter seated them. She would have been more upset if he had not ordered her favourite for both her and himself.

"You look beautiful tonight," he said, "as always."

He did not appear to be lying this time.

She folded her napkin over her lap and said, "I know."

His lips twitched, whether with a suppressed smile or grimace, that she could not tell.

"I heard you are studying with Madame Pomfrey. Has your time been rewarding?"

"It has been good to return to magic," she said evasively.

"Has the work been difficult?"

"Repetitive at times, but not overly difficult."

"You always excelled in whatever project you applied yourself to," he said in a normal tone. "Do you believe will enter the medical field?"

"I have no wish to work in a hospital."

"Good," he said shortly, taking a sip from his wine.

She raised a brow.

His lips curved upward a hair, "You would be waisted at St. Mungo's."

"You cannot help yourself, can you?"

It was his turn to raise a brow.

"Do you think me incapable of becoming a mediwitch?"

"Of course not," he said smoothly, "I merely meant you were meant for better things then tending to fools who set themselves aflame."

"Whereas you would have me do what, wait at home, waiting to tend to the whims of my husband?"

"You did not sound so appalled by such a future not so long ago."

"Things change."

"As do passions," he countered.

She stiffened, "Yes, yours for me seemed to be ever so fickle."

"Not fickle, concerned. I was building a future for us and your sister nearly undid it all."

Narcissa lowered her voice, "A future? What future? Were your ambitions to cower and toady to a madman?"

"The Dark Lord," he said coolly, softly, "is not mad. But that will be made clear to you, to everyone, soon enough."

Their food came out hot, and despite herself, she reached for her utensils first. She was nervous, and she was always hungriest when she was nervous.

"It is not too late for us."

She swallowed, taking a sip of her water, before replying, "Yes, Lucius, it is."

"So it is true then," he said, gaze sharp.

She waited, refusing to play this game.

"You have given yourself to the Peverell heir. I suppose I cannot blame you, with such a legacy, he must be very wealthy."

She wanted to stab his eyes out in that moment, but she said mildly, "You sound jealous, Lucius. Did you also hear the rumour that he is more powerful than you?" She stroked a finger up her spoon suggestively, "I can attest to that being more than a rumour."

She watched rage turn the grey of his eyes turbulent, and she felt satisfaction warm her.

No, she didn't miss Lucius as much as she had half-convinced herself she had.

"Is he?" he asked blandly, but the look in his eyes was anything but bland. "There are doubts he is who he says he is, after all, how does a wizard of his supposed talent have no formal training?"

That bothered her also, but after a week of sparing with him, a week of training with him…

Perhaps it was strange that he was self taught, but nothing he had shown her was something she had learned at Hogwarts. His lessons were like nothing she had ever heard of, perhaps the schools in Africa? They were known for wandless magic at least.

But Rell was British, wholly British. And whatever his background, he certainly hadn't been raised by any purebloods. His English was good, though his accent marked him as a lower class.

"Perhaps," she said, "what bothers you is that some are just that innately talented."

"He is a fraud."

She smiled sweetly, "An interesting take coming from you." She took another bite off her plate.

Unlike him, she wasn't about to waste a perfectly fine meal, though she left the wine untouched.

Sorrow flashed in his eyes, "Is there truely no chance of you forgiving me?"

She took another few bites as if mulling it over, she was more trying to finish sooner. She wanted away from him. Finally, she said, "That would depend."

He perked up, not as a hopeful male looking to make amends but a predator siting its kill. "Yes?" he implored her.

Narcissa smirked, "How deep of ditch are you willing to dig for yourself before you realize I would sooner see you dead than take you back."

Flint flashed across his expression, but he quickly smothered it. He reached for her hand as she set down her spoon, "Please, Narcissa, I made a mistake. Do not let my lapse in judgement ruin our future."

A wave of peace washed over her at his touch.

 _Forgive him_.

"Lucius, I-" her voice cut off, suddenly unsure of herself, of what she meant to say. She had meant to say something biting, hadn't she? But she did not feel angry with him, she felt…

 _He loves you still._

Love?

She shook her head and made to pull her hand away, but he held on.

"Narcissa," he coaxed, pulling out a ring box with his free hand. "You and I were meant to be. We match, we belong together."

 _We belong together._

She felt as if she could sleep, the tension in her shoulders rolling away as he slipped a ring on to her lax hand still held in his grip.

It was white gold and more ornate than the first he had given her.

The memory of the first, poked a hole in her sense of peace.

She tried again to pull from his grip, a kernel of panic settling in her heart.

Something was wro-

"Narcissa, you will not regret this, I will spend every day of our lives making amends, proving to you our love was meant to be."

 _Meant to be._

The peace, the ease of this choice settled over her, broken by a slithering sensation up her arm.

She looked down to see the shadow of a serpent wind up her arm.

 _Don't look. Everything is alright. You're happy. You're engaged._

 _Mrs. Malfoy._

 _You can keep him this time._

 _All you need to do is tell Professor Henry Peverell goodbye. Show him your ring. Hold his hand._

 _Tell him you're happy._

 _You're happy._

 _You forgive Lucius._

 _You love him._

 _You belong-_

Narcissa tore her hand from his, "What are yo-"

She watched his lips curl, his chin dip as his cold gaze met hers, he murmured, loud enough for her alone to hear, " _Obliviate._ "

The spell hit her under the table.

* * *

It wasn't as if Harry didn't deserve Narcissa's coldness.

It wasn't as if he deserved an explanation from her.

But it was a painful ache in his chest when he saw the ring on her finger. The beautiful ring with all its implications.

He hadn't realized how much he had hoped… how far he had already fallen for the beautiful, sharp witted, sharp tongued witch until that moment.

That moment he realized that his luck didn't hadn't changed with the times, and no matter what other alternate realities there were, he didn't belong here.

Harry didn't really belong anywhere.

He waited impatiently for Teddy to finish his breakfast before disappearing to his next class.

He avoided Narcissa. He didn't want an explanation.

The Narcissa Malfoy he had known had loved her husband, had loved her son. There hadn't been anything that could have changed that, least of all his stumbling attempts to start a relationship.

He had relied foolishly on her pursuing him, it was only fair she had changed her mind.

It was only reasonable to presume her heart had never changed. That she, like so many others, had only been interested in him for a fling.

Harry was too messy, too recluse for anyone to want for more.

He knew that.

It was okay, he had other concerns at the moment.

Between classes, he looked at the metal elongated star he had found in the mirror. The only thing besides Teddy Naomi had left him.

Yes, he had plenty to deal with without getting himself entangled with a Malfoy.

* * *

It wasn't as if Lily was happy that one of the students was dead, but a part of her thought that if it had to happen to anyone, Peter Pettigrew wasn't someone she would personally miss.

"It's almost like they are actually capable of remorse," Sev said grudgingly.

She whacked his shoulder, "Quit it."

"You were thinking the same thing."

"No, I wasn't."

"No, you weren't, were you? You were thinking you were glad it was Pettigrew."

She flushed, "Shut up."

"Relax, Lils, aside from the trio and the boy's parents, everyone is thinking the same."

"Nobody would say it though," she muttered, flipping the pages of her text book idly.

Sev started to say something, but suddenly, Lily couldn't hear him. Instead what she heard was…

 _Screaming._

 _Her throat was raw._

 _James was dead beside her._

 _"Where did you put it?" a cold voice asked._

 _Pain._

 _She fought herself not to scream._

 _One thought chased around the splintered c_ onsciousness _of her mind like a hound after fallen fowl in the forest, 'He'll hear, he can't- he has to stay hidden. If I stay quiet, he can too.'_

 _It was not a sensical thought, and as pain ripped through her being, nothing made sense._

 _Nothing at all._

"LILY!" Sev was screaming her name.

He was holding her as she shook silently in his arms, her vision coming back to her in pieces.

"She's waking up!" James shouted to the crowd, to himself.

Her gaze focused on him, his hazel eyes alight with worry and… and _life._

She reached out for him, she was so weak that she only managed to flop her arm toward him. She touched his knee, and he fainted, collapsing on top of her and Severus.

The dream, the vision, overtook her once more.

 _Pain._

Followed by sweet, sweet oblivion.

Only Sev calling her name into the darkness reasoned with her dreams that she wasn't truly dying.

Even if that's what it felt like.

* * *

Harry could only assume this stellar week was his repayment for having such an easy transition into a different timeline.

Well, relatively easy.

He sat between his would-be parents, their teenage forms looking frail and small in their cots.

Both had collapsed in the library with seizures.

And what was the only thing Madame Pomfrey had found on them.

Pixie dust.

Not only pixie dust, but the pixie dust from a species of pixie that had died off a thousand years ago.

Of course, there were rumours some of the pixies had survived, the muggle story of Peter Pan was evidence that some Northern Fae Pixies had survived. But among the proprieties of any pixie dust, seizures weren't one of them.

Neither was heart failure.

No, the symptoms Lily and James were exhibiting were consistent with that of Torturing Curse.

Which meant that the castle was under lockdown, because there weren't any students in the school who could have cast that spell on two students right under Madame Pince's nose.

Not even Harry had gone through that in his time here. Voldemort had to summon him off school grounds to accomplish that. Harry had temporally sent Teddy home with Remus, Lyall and Hope deciding that their son needed to be home after so many shocks.

The Potters were coming to pick up James after Poppy decided there was nothing that could be done for them but bedrest. The Evans had yet to be reached.

There was a chance both their minds had snapped, but Poppy had said that was extremely unlikely as both had fainted and their seizures had not lasted long.

Only Harry knew that if this was another backlash of Ignotus Peverell's spell, that it was possible that both Lily and James had remembered being tortured to death, the fate that had befallen Mr. and Mrs. Peverell, the parents Harry had watched through a crack through a cupboard fall to wildly powerful young Dark Lord.

Hence, why Harry had refused to leave their sides, even as Poppy had dismissed Narcissa and all of Lily and James' friends.

Harry felt that this was his fault, though he couldn't understand how or why they would have these memories.

He wondered what a genetic test would look like between them all.

Dumbledore entered the room with who Harry recognized as his grandparents. They completely ignored him as the went to James's bedside.

"Rell, this is Euphemia and Fleamont Potter, Euphemia, Fleamont, this is Mr. Henry Peverell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

Euphemia looked up briefly, but before she could get a word in Fleamont spoke, "Why didn't you defend them?"

"I wasn't in the library at the time," Harry said evenly, his voice tight not because he was offended but because he was angry with himself. Rational or no.

"Is that Lily Evans?" Euphemia asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "I will be taking her home. Professor Peverell if you aren't adverse would you mind assisting me? Levitation spells are not advisable in the muggle world."

"Of course," Harry said standing.

Euphemia and Fleamont gasped in unison.

Harry looked down at Lily and James worriedly.

But it was Harry they were looking at.

"You look like James," Euphemia said, sounding stunned, "uncannily so."

A part of Harry wanted to tell them the truth, right then and there, but had no idea where to start.

Before he could say anything, Fleamont said, "You look like my father, who, as it happens is also named Henry. Of course, the Peverells are relatives of the Potters."

"Yes, but, he looks…" she shook her head, her dark hair spilling from her bun, "I can't think straight right now. We need to get James home."

Fleamont cast a featherweight charm on his son before picking him up, James stayed solidly asleep.

Harry went to Lily, wrapping her carefully in the thin blanket and lifting her as gently as he was able. She wasn't too heavy for him.

They walked as a worried, quiet group to the border of the Hogwarts wards, before apparating to their sperate destinations.

They appeared in the Evans fenced in backyard. Dumbledore knocked politely on the backdoor with all the reverence as if it had been the front.

The door opened revealing Harry's other grandparents.

It was a surreal sort of day.

"We set up on the ground floor so she can be near the bathroom and doesn't need to use the steps," Mrs. Evans said by way of greeting.

Harry nodded and followed her in, laying Lily down on clean sheets. Watching Mr. and Mrs. Evans tucking in their daughter, Harry was caught in a moment of gratefullness.

Both the Potters and Evans were wonderful and loving people, it was something he had been told, it was something he was honoured to witness.

The Evans whispered something to each other than Mr. Evans kissed first his wife's cheek then Lily's forehead before motioning Dumbledore and Harry to the sitting room.

"Rose will stay with Lily, please, have a seat, I'll get you tea."

In the living room, Harry was created with another set of relatives, though they were far less welcoming.

" _You,"_ Vernon greeted with equal parts surprise and rage.

Harry was not happy with the assault of his second life's memories. "Vernon," Harry greeted flatly.

Vernon, who was more muscle at this stage of his life than fat, stepped in front of a skinny but not quite the boney Petunia. She was less horse-faced than Harry remembered, but the expression she gave him explained how she had ended up with the aforementioned horse-face.

He was too tired for this.

But Mr. Evans was having none of it, "What is your problem, boy? These men are our guests, you will show respect. Petunia, I told you I didn't want him over today."

"You don't know what he is," Vernon snarled, "He's a freak. He went to a correctional school."

Harry rolled his eyes, "They know exactly what I am, _cousin."_

" _Cousin?"_ Mr. Evans, Dumbledore, and Petunia echoed.

Mr. Evans eyes narrowed, "Did you just call this fine professor a freak because he is magical?"

Harry watched it click in Vernon's mind when he realized why Petunia hated her little sister so much. Watched him back track at the look on his father-in-law's face. "No, he's a freak because he's a monster, and everyone knew it. He was a hopeless case. He never had any friends, always in detention, always-"

"And now I'm a professor at a _freak_ school," Harry cut him off, "And you're getting married, apparently. How's Marge? Still drowning puppies? Uncle and Aunty still held up in that cottage or have you dumped them in a nursing home yet?"

The Dursleys had been older parents if his memory served.

Vernon's face went tomato red then beat purple.

Harry waved his hand at his cousin, his uncle, his -whatever, he waved a hand at Vernon and when he opened his mouth to bellow something horrid, nothing but a release of air echoed in the room.

Petunia shrieked.

Harry sighed, "My apologies, Mr. Evans, it has been years since my cousin and I have crossed paths. My foster family and I did not part on… good terms."

Mr. Evans looked sort of relieved at the silencing spell, "How long will that spell last?"

"As long as it needs to," Harry answered.

And Harry could have sworn Mr. Evans was praying for that 'need' to translate to forever. "Petunia, calm yourself, today is about Lily, not the dramatics you insist on bringing into this home."

"It's always about Lily!" Petunia exclaimed, hugging her fiancé. "He attacked Vernon."

"Vernon is lucky I don't turn him into a piglet and leave him the woods," Harry cut her off.

"Professor Peverell," Dumbledore chided, though there was a mirthful glint in his eyes.

A glint that was mirrored in Mr. Evans eyes as he coughed to cover a laugh before disappearing into the kitchen to retrieve tea.

They all sat down in the seating room. Dumbledore was watching Harry closely even as he asked Petunia, "When is the happy date of your union?"

"This summer," she said on the edge of her seat, petting Vernon's arm as he glared at Harry with homicidal intentions.

Harry smirked, "Wonderful, I will bring my finest robes. Two families joining together is a joyous thing."

Vernon bellowed something silently.

Petunia, hushed him, and said venomously, "No one invited you."

"I'm inviting him," Mr. Evans said, returning to the sitting room in record time, the kettle must have been hot. "Forgive us, we did not do introductions. I am Eirick Evans, my daughter Petunia Evans, and my wife is Rose Evans."

"It is a pleasure," Harry said, shaking his grandfather's hand, "I'm Henry Peverell, Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts-" Vernon looked like he was gagging, "-family calls me Harry though."

He saw Dumbledore shift at that, but Vernon's lack of reaction to this claim confirmed the truth of it.

Rell is what his students called him.

Harry is what his family, what Naomi, Hermione, Ron, Sirius, and his birth parents had called him.

As Eirick drew his hand away, he froze.

Harry tilted his head in question.

Eirick apologized, "Sorry, it's just you have the same eye colour as Lily. I always thought she was unique."

"Not as much as you think," Petunia muttered darkly.

Eirick shot his eldest daughter a look before sitting down. "Professor Dumbledore, what can you tell me about my daughter's condition?"

"She needs rest," Dumbledore said at once, "she seems to have run afoul of the Dark Arts. Her symptoms appear temporary, however, likely she will be shocky when she wakes, and may be prone to nightmares, but otherwise, she should be alright."

Eirick's eyes swept to Harry, "And your opinion, Harry?"

And Harry found he couldn't lie to this man, "I think they were memories."

Dumbledore stilled beside him, "What do you mean, Rell?"

"I don't know if it was their memories, but I think James Potter and Lily encountered a spell that made them remember someone else's experience. If it had been than torture curse they would have nerve damage. But it was just memories, it would explain the terror, the seizures, and the strained pulse. I wish I could tell you more, but the Dark Arts tend to be wild magic, this might not even be dark, it might just be wild."

"Have you've experienced this?" Eirick asked.

Harry nodded, "I've come across books before that were charmed or cursed that could this, magical creatures, and even dreams or visions."

"So it could be anything."

"Quite possibly."

"How do we protect her?"

"For now," Harry said, "She needs to rest, we will check her belongings, send word if something else happens or turns up. But, I'm afraid, only time can tell, beyond what we can find in the library."

"Do you think it was another student?"

Harry looked at Dumbledore who sighed, "It is very unlikely, most students simply wouldn't have the power or the subtilty to do this. But, I'm afraid, nothing can be said for certain."

Eirick took in a deep breath and seemed to settle into thought.

They all drank their tea in silence.

Which Petunia broke, demanding, "Release Vernon!"

Harry sighed, waving a hand at the man.

The first words out of his cousin's mouth were, "If you ever do that to m-"

"Mr. Dursley," Eirick said in a voice that warned the young man was on thin ice, "do not threaten a guest in my house."

Vernon glared, but decided to follow his curiosity, it surprised Harry he would even pretend to care, "You became a teacher of the Dark Arts?"

"I became a professor of _Defense Against_ the Dark Arts."

"How? Mum and Dad didn't let you go to Hogtuts."

Dumbledore coughed, "Hogwarts, my boy."

Vernon glared.

"I taught myself."

"You couldn't have gotten good enough to teach others practising in the attic and in the park. No one would hire a runt like you out of normal school."

"No, this job is recent."

"So, what did you do?"

"I became a librarian, and a year after my son was born, I worked at a daycare."

Vernon frowned, "You're married?"

"Widower."

"You always were cursed."

"That's one way of looking at it." Somehow, Harry realized that this was one of the most civilized conversations he had had with his cousin/uncle/whatever.

"How old is your son?" Eirick asked.

"Teddy is three," Harry couldn't help but smile, "He's the best thing to ever happen to me."

Eirick smiled too, "That's how Rose and I felt about our girls. But I warn you, it doesn't get easier."

Harry's smile grew, "Oh, I'm aware. Teddy is incredible, but he's his mother's son, and worse, he's my son, too."

"You don't sound worried," Eirick noted.

Harry looked into his tea, "I worry every second of every day and night, but I have no regrets where Teddy is concerned."

"I'm sorry about your wife. I can't imagine being a single parent."

"I don't recommend it, but I recently reconnected with Naomi's family. Teddy is with them now. Family is good to have."

"Don't show your face at Marge's or my place," Vernon spat, completely unable to help himself.

Eirick scowled but Harry spoke before he could, "Don't worry, Vernon, I will never make the mistake of trusting a Dursley with a child."

The irony of Dumbledore sitting beside him for this conversation did not escape him. Harry finished his tea, thoroughly glad that by whatever magic powers that be, Teddy would go to the Lupins before the Dursleys.

* * *

AN: I don't know what just happened, but it was fun to write. Thoughts, ideas, concerned, or curious kittens?


	18. Levelling

AN: Lol, will Harry notice? Oh, some of y'all make me laugh. I wasn't thinking angst, I was thinking…

WARNING: Lemons, lots of happy glorious lemons. Reverse-trig warning, Lucius didn't do anything after the scene cut with Narcissa. They finished their meals and Narcissa returned to Hogwarts without a wand. **Only consensual lemons** , lots of spawning consensual lemons ;) T/M rated for reasons.

Chapter 18 – Levelling

To say Albus Dumbledore was concerned about Professor Henry Peverell, was an understatement.

To say he was confused, was, again, an understatement.

On one hand, it was comforting to have his background confirmed.

Vernon Dursleys hatred for the man, his cousin was most convincing. No one had heard of Rell before this, his records were there but he, as well as Naomi Lupin, had disappeared in the muggle world.

Now, Rell's ties to the magical world became clearer and clearer, and yet…

And yet.

Albus had of course noticed the similarities between Rell and James Potter, it was impossible not to.

But it wasn't until he saw Euphemia, Fleamont, James, and Rell in the same place at the same time that he realized the oddity of it.

By all rights, Rell, a Peverell related to the Potters should mean that he looked like Fleamont. But Rell had features that near mirrored James's and echoed those in Euphemia, Euphemia Ross.

Of course, all pureblood lines were closer than people wanted to admit to in Britain.

But where a pureblood lineage could be explained, Rell having the same eye colour as Ms. Lily Evans could not be as easily dismissed.

Perhaps he was a half-blood?

But with a name like Henry Black Peverell, that seemed unlikely.

And Black, could have been a muggle surname, a variation on Blacksmith, however if he was related to the pureblood line of Blacks, it seemed most odd that the Black family had not made a formal claim on him.

Well, aside from Narcissa Black pursuing him.

Was it possible that Rell was related to Doria Black? She had married a Potter and had been exiled from the family, Albus knew that at least.

What he didn't know was where the Peverell line had gone. It seemed especially odd that a direct line of male heirs would survive time when the names of the founders hadn't lasted that long.

And again, where did the Evans family tie in? More than that, where did Petunia Evans's intended, Vernon Dursley, tie in?

What would be the chances that Rell was related to all of these people?

Of course, Rell had stated that the Dursleys were his foster family, so there was quite possibly no blood relation there.

Albus rubbed his temples.

He did not have the impression that Rell was a bad person, despite what the Dursley boy had accused, but Henry Peverell was an enigma.

Albus ate a lemon drop.

* * *

Teddy was watching Uncle Lye and Cousin Remus closely.

They were very sad people.

Daddy could be sad too, but they were _really_ sad.

"Aunt Hope, is Uncle Lye and Remus okay?"

Aunt Hope smiled at him kindly, Aunt Hope was an extra kind and good person. "They will be okay. They are just worried about James."

"Peter was a bad person," Teddy informed her as Cousin Remus walked in.

"Peter was my friend, Teddy."

Teddy shook his head, letting his hair turn dark red so they would know he was serious when he said, "No, he wasn't. I'm glad he's dead."

"Teddy!" Aunt Hope chided as Remus's mouth popped open.

"I'm telling the truth," Teddy informed them, "I'm not liar."

"I will be telling your father about your mean words," Aunt Hope told him, "He won't like you saying bad things."

"I'm not bad, Peter is bad. Daddy doesn't like him either. That's why I stay with Hagrid for your class."

Remus's face turned red, then he shouted, "Shut up! You don't know anything!"

"Remus Lyall Lupin!" Aunt Hope raised her voice.

Teddy held his ears and squeezed his eyes shut tight.

Their voices echoed in his head and it was loud, too loud.

It hurt so much he wanted to cry.

But Daddy wasn't around so he wouldn't cry. He ran to Daddy's room. Shutting the door softly so the noise didn't hurt him too, he hid under the bed.

He wished Daddy was here.

He would tell Remus that Peter was bad.

And Daddy wasn't that loud. Daddy hardly ever raised his voice.

Teddy buried his face tight to his knees, pressing his back against the wall, his shoulders and head pressed to the hard metal of the under the bed. He held his ears to help stop the ringing.

The ringing hurt.

* * *

Lyall came down from his study at run at the sound of shouting.

"What?" he asked, panicked, "What's happened now?"

"Teddy is happy Peter is dead," Remus said, his face flushed.

Lyall frowned, "Teddy is three years old. And though I am personally not 'happy' your friend is dead, nor am I pleased with your part in his accident, Peter Pettigrew was not a very likeable kid."

Remus's expression darkened, "How dare you! He was my friend! He-!"

"Do not raise your voice at me, son," Lyall cut him off, "your guilt does not give you the right to shout at your little cousin. Nor does Peter's death make him a saint. Does it not occur to you that maybe Teddy might have reason to dislike him?"

Lyall had not been blind to the bullying tendencies of his son's closest friends.

"He said Uncle Rell didn't let him stay in our DADA class because of Peter."

Lyall felt his eyes widen at that, had Peter been more than a bully? He shook his head, the boy was dead, it didn't matter now. Aloud he said, "And your Uncle Peverell does not strike me as a wizard to easily misjudge people. Perhaps you didn't know Peter as well as you should have. Now, where is Teddy? And I do expect you to apologize to him once everyone has calmed down."

"But Dad-"

"Enough, Remus. I know things have been trying for you, but Teddy is not only a guest in our house, but he is an innocent. You are not a child to take your grief out on those around you."

"He went to the guest room," Hope said softly, looking worriedly down the hall.

Lyall turned his back on his son and went to the guest room. He knocked on the door and when no answer came, he opened the door.

The room was seemed empty.

He had a split second to wonder if it was possible for a metemorphmegus could go chameleon and hide in plain sight. He dismissed this idea, because even if it was possible it wasn't likely that a three year old could pull it off. Lyall checked the closest first, before dropping to his knees then stomach to check under the bed.

Sure enough, there was the little boy with a mop of raven hair, curled into a small ball in the back. Another smaller ball of fur curled beside him.

"Teddy," Lyall called softly.

But the boy was holding his ears, so Lyall reached out a hand to touch his leg.

Teddy nearly jumped out of his skin, he shoulder and head jerked up against the underside of the bed and Lyall winced in sympathy even as he murmmered, "It's alright, Teddy, it's just you're Uncle Lye. You're alright, you're alright." He held out his arm to the little boy.

With his eyes too big, changing between emerald green and palest honey brown, he crawled out from under the bed.

Lyall wrapped his arms around the small figure, rubbing a hand in circles around his back.

Teddy clung to his shirt front and said almost too quietly to hear, "I'm not liar."

"Shhhh, of course not," Lyall got them off the ground, sitting them both on the bed as he tried to calm the boy down.

The kitten jumped up on them, nestling herself between Teddy's shoulder and Lyall's chest.

Teddy gave muffled sob and seemed to be fighting himself not to cry.

Lyall's heart broke for the boy. "It's okay, Teddy, you're okay. Your dad will be here tomorrow night. You're okay."

Teddy buried his face against his chest, as the kitten began to purr.

When Teddy finally lessoned his death grip a bit, Lyall asked, "Teddy, why were you holding your ears?"

"It hurts."

Fear swept through Lyall. The idea of his little sister's son being injured… "What hurts?"

"Too loud, everyone is too loud."

Lyall frowned, "Do your ears hurt a lot?"

He nodded without looking up.

"Do your ears just hurt, or only when people are being loud?"

"Loud, everyone is loud, loud things. They hurt. Daddy doesn't talk loud. Daddy puts up sound rooms in rooms."

The last part took a bit of translating but he realized Rell must have put up a sound burier.

"Do you tell your father things are too loud?" Lyall asked, knowing from experience with his own son that sometimes children were as prone to overstating as they were to understating things.

Remus had taken his transformation as something that was normal. Too young to understand that chronic pain wasn't normal. He cried more about fevers and being hungry than the bruises and cuts he acquired each full moon.

Teddy shook his head, "Daddy isn't loud."

Lyall pulled his wand and did a quick diagnosis spell. Teddy wasn't injured, but Lyall thought that he should still get his ears checked by a professional. But that could wait until tomorrow night when Rell came back. For now…

"Did your Dad ever tell you the story about a little girl named Sunny?"

Teddy shook his head and was asleep fifteen minutes into the story.

Lyall didn't stop rubbing the boy's back.

His sister's son.

How he wished Naomi was here. How he wished she could see who her son was going to become.

After her attack, she had begun to believe that none could love her. But Rell had, and the child that they had made together...

Well, Teddy was the kind of child every parent would be proud of.

Hope came in a few minutes later.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I raised my voice when he said Peter was a bad person. He shouldn't repeat such things."

Lyall ran a hand over Teddy's curls, "Sometimes, Hope, the words of children are simply truth. Even if it isn't truth we want to hear."

* * *

"What do you mean she's engaged to Lucius?" Andromeda demanded.

"Kingsley just told me," Bella answered, picking Nymphadora up in her arms. The small child held onto her and began playing with her dark hair.

"When?"

"Ten minutes ago."

Andromeda rolled her eyes, "No, when did she say yes to that bastard?"

"Two nights ago."

"But why? Narcissa would never forgive him. Where is she now?"

"Hogwarts."

"Did you try to reach her?"

Bella made a face, "I'm not going to be the one to lose my eyebrows this time."

"Bella-"

"Andromeda, the last time we tried to help our little sister-"

Andromeda cut her off, looking toward Nymphadora who was studying them closely with honey-brown eyes. Instead, she asked, "Malfoy?"

Bella's smile was cruel, "I know where he will be."

Andromeda took Nymphadora to bring to her father reading a medical journal at the table with his afternoon cup of tea.

"Where is Malfoy going to be?" the little girl repeated as she settled in her father's lap.

"Six feet under," Bella answered with another smile.

"Under what?" Nymphadora asked.

Ted glared at her, "You know you're marrying an Auror, correct?"

"What Kingsley doesn't know won't hurt him."

"That isn't how marriage works."

"Relax sweetie, we aren't going to kill him," Andromeda said.

Bella's smile grew wider.

Ted narrowed his eyes on his wife. "Andromeda," he warned.

Bella cackled.

"We'll be back for breakfast," Andromeda assured him, kissing his cheek, then kissing Nymphadora's head.

Once her mother and aunt left home, she asked her father, "Is Mama going to jail."

"No," Ted answered, straighten out the journal he had been reading on the table, "No, your Mama is too good to get caught doing anything wrong."

Nymphadora patted her father's hand, "Mama is scary, but she's not scary to us, right?"

Ted kissed his daughter's head, "That's right." And wondered at what lessons they were teaching their daughter.

* * *

Harry had set up islands in the room, i.e. chairs and tables, putting sticking charms on them to ensure they didn't fall when leaped off of and, as always, put cushion charms on the floor.

"Today," he announced to the class, "We are playing the floor is lava."

One of the students objected by saying, "This isn't lava, those are lemons."

Harry smiled, "If we were all actually this close to lava we would all be suffering from heat exposure and likely toxic gas. None the less, I would advice not touching the lemons."

Said lemons, lay inert on the floor. Cheerful, harmless, lemony lemons.

So of course, students reached out to touch them.

Harry sat down crossed legged on his desk as the room descended into pure lemony chaos.

Most of the lemons were charmed to spawn duplicates of themselves, so there were infinitely more lemons than when the class had started.

Other lemons exploded, chunks of charred sour fruit sored into the air. This was more dangerous to the lemons than the students, but to the students who began to fight the lemons… they quickly discovered that lemon juice to the eye was, at very least, undesirable.

The true mayhem started when the desks became slippery and the students, half blind with citrus juice fell into the rising tide of produce.

Once the screaming began and the houses began working together to fortify desks. As seventh years, Harry had put them through similar assignments before. So halfway through the class, they formed teams and began to claim desks as territories in the ocean of lemons.

Lavation charms were used to both shield and attack with the lemons. Many were brandishing their wands as swords.

Harry only needed to help one student not be completely swallowed into the lemon sea.

Once he was sure they all got a handle on the spawning and exploding charms and were getting too invested in tearing each other down, did he begin to set more charms loose into the field of yellow.

Some lemons grew to the size of boulders, and others began to sing, and more turned into illusionary fireworks that burst into white and yellow sparks.

Eventually, the situation began to grow uncontrollable. The desks were no longer visible, and Harry and his students were sitting in the rafters, late for dinner, smelling of lemons by Frank Longbottom thought to ask, "What was the point of this lesson?"

Harry smiled sweetly at him, "Your objective was to reach the door, at which point the charms on the lemons would disappear."

They all looked toward the doors of the classroom, said doors were obscured by thousands upon thousands of lemons.

"Well," Frank said, "That would have been helpful to know."

"I advised you all not to touch the lemons."

"You are fucking crazy," another student, who was clinging to the rafter said.

"Language," Harry sang cheerfully.

"What do we do now?" a Slytherin asked of everyone.

"The bell rang, technically class is over, _Professor_ ," a Ravenclaw said.

"You are free to leave, whenever you like," Harry said.

"You're not going to help, are you?" Alice asked staring down at the room of lemons.

"That wouldn't be very educational, would it?"

"I hate you," the Ravenclaw snarled.

"We can go swimming?" Frank offered.

"We would get crushed," Alice said, shooting the idea down.

"So what do we do!?"

The Slytherin student said timidly, "Wait for help?"

"Twenty points to Slytherin," Harry said.

"Really!?" Frank exploded, "That's your answer?"

"Waiting for help is an excellent solution when you are safe and everywhere else is unsafe."

"We'll miss dinner!" the Ravenclaw protested.

"You aren't going to die from missing one meal," Harry assured them.

"Well now that we've come up with the answer, can you help us?" Alice asked, "Please, Professor Rell?"

"Nope."

"Why not?" Frank asked.

"Because patience is a virtue and practice makes perfect."

"Nobody needs to practice waiting for help," a Hufflepuff student argued.

Harry smiled, "Ten minutes, if you can all last ten minutes without complaining or heavy sighs I'll get us down and to the Great Hall in one piece."

They didn't last three minutes. And it took a full hour before the other professors came to get them.

The doors were opened and as the lemons spilled into the hall they disappeared. The fruit drained from the room like bathwater down a drain. Leaving professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Dumbledore staring up at the seventh year DADA class of NEWT students, plus Harry, hanging out in the rafters.

McGonagall and Dumbledore turned the rafters into slides that brought them all safely to the ground.

Two lemons sat on the ground, inert, harmless, and cheerfully lemony yellow.

"What do we say, class?" Harry asked his students.

"We hate you?" Frank asked as the rest of the class chorused thank you's to the other three professors.

Harry joined his colleagues as the class filled down to the kitchens to ask the house-elves for dinner.

"You could teach Charms," Flitwick noted with a smile.

Harry grinned back, "You could teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, Dueling Champion."

Flitwick flushed, "Not many know about that."

McGonagall huffed, "You're too modest Filius."

"As impressive as ever, Professor Rell," Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling.

* * *

Harry was grading papers later that night when Narcissa entered his office without knocking.

He stood, walking around his desk.

If she was here to finish crushing his heart, he wasn't going to let it show that he cared.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked, with not nearly enough venom.

She said nothing, walking closer to him.

He wondered briefly if she would have a real explanation for him, but she said nothing to him until she stood directly in front of him.

"I came to say goodbye," she said, voice not cold, but toneless. Utterly devoid of - _anything._

That was his first hint.

She held out her hand to him with the new ring, showing it off to him.

Standing this close to her, he saw the glazed look in her grey eyes.

That was his second hint.

He probably should have run, but his 'saving people-thing' took over and he reached for her hand.

"Narcissa, are you alright?"

She held onto his hand, and said to him "I'm happy."

She clearly wasn't, and if Harry hadn't embraced his hurt feelings and he could have spotted the Imperius curse sooner.

"I'm happy," she repeated, "I forgive Lucius. I love him. I-"

He tuned her out as he tried to pull his hand out of her grip as he heard the hissing coming from her arm.

' _Kill, kill, kill, kill,'_ the shadow snake hissed as it began to coil up his hand.

Why did it always have to be insane killing snakes? Harry _liked_ snakes. Not all snakes were murdering serial killers.

He pushed his magic, raw, pure, into the creature, the shadow, the serpent that was not really a serpent. He felt the darkness, the destruction pouring off it. He knew he had seconds to redirect it, as well as he knew that the redirection would not except anything short of pain.

' _Burn, burn, burn, burn,'_ Harry hissed in Parseltongue as coiled further up his arm.

Narcissa made a pained noise as both their flesh began to bake.

Her grip changed, from clinging to holding on for support.

Harry shoved his power into the dark creature and in a burst of searing heat, it disappeared.

Narcissa let go of his hand, falling to her knees with a gasp. She looked up at him slowly, life and depth returned her blue-grey eyes. She frowned at him, then down at her arm. She winced as she reached for the ring and tossed it across the room.

"He-" her voice caught in her throat, and she lifted her uninjured hand to her temple, "He… I don't remember what happened. But he..." She looked back at his arm, "he used me to get to you, to try to kill you."

Harry offered her an arm, she accepted, the weight she gave him the only indication she was unsteady on her feet.

"It happens," he said, "You were under the Imperius curse. What is the last thing you remember?"

She scowled, "I do not fall prey to the Imperius-" She cut herself. "He told me to take his hand. That's the last thing I remember. I was going to Olivander's, they-"

"They knew you needed a new one," Harry supplied, he had to work to keep the fury from his voice, "They probably had someone posted weighting for you who would alert them."

"Lucius, he-" she closed her eyes. "No, no it wasn't Lucius. Lucius asked for my hand, but it was another voice… I felt peaceful and another voice said sweetly into my mind to take his hand, I… I'm such a fool."

Harry put a hand to her cheek, "No, no you're not. They were subtle. They ambushed you and taking his hand is not the same thing as squawking like a chicken. You would have noticed if they asked for something-"

"They did," she cut him off, "But I can't-" she met his gaze, horror overcoming her, "I can't remember."

He took her unscarred hand with his scarred one, "Come on." He tugged her toward the door.

"Rell, obliviate has no cure."

"Yes, it does," he said, the anger simmering in his veins.

He had other things to think about in his sixth year, but he knew someone who messed with memory charms and had kept a way out for himself.

Down and down they went to the dungeons, Narcissa kept pace with him and he could feel the anger coming off her.

Lucius was a dead man walking.

Harry pounded on Slughorn's door.

"Professor Peverell," the man greeted warmly, "What- Narcissa, my dear, are you alright?"

"No," she said shortly, shutting the door behind them as they came into the room.

Harry let go of her hand and she took a seat without being asked.

"Err- what can I do fo-"

"Where are your potions for retrieving memories?" Harry demanded.

Slughorn paled, "My boy, I don't-"

"Oh, but you do. You tried to erase your memory of giving Mr. Tom Riddle the key to creating Horcruxes, and instead of living with that mistake, instead of informing the Headmaster or Dumbledore, you altered your memory."

Slughorn sputtered.

"The potion you made, it works on Obliviate Charms, doesn't it?"

"How-?" he asked, "How could you possibly-"

"It works, doesn't it?"

Slughorn's shoulders slumped, "The third cabinet on the right, I named it Solaces Potion."

Narcissa looked appalled, "You found a cure and you kept it to yourself? Do you even realize all the people you could have helped?"

"I-" Slughorn began to say, then changed course, "It isn't perfected. It takes a year to brew and I've only ever tested it on myself. Boy! Don't just drink it! Did you not hear me say it takes a year to brew?"

Harry had taken a swig from the bottle, he wasn't about to give it to Narcissa without knowing if it was absolutely safe.

A memory of Naomi flooded his mind, she was sobbing into his chest, _I can't do it, I can't do it. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry._

Harry blinked, his vision clearing, even as the echoes of old memories of his second life flitted through his mind more clearly, grounding themselves in him. Becoming a little more Rell, a little less Potter.

"Horace," Harry said, "How much does she take?"

"How much was taken?" Slughorn asked Narcissa, not unkindly.

"A night," she said, "I don't remember what time I got back to the castle."

"Two nights ago?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Was it Lucius?"

She nodded again.

Slughorn seemed to deflate, "Oh, what a pity. I never liked his father, but I had hoped… I'm sorry my dear."

"Just give me back my memories, you bastard," she said, voice sharp enough to cut steel.

He looked at her as if wounded, "You would call me a bastard?"

"I would call you every vile name in the book, you selfish, ignorant man. How could you not know what a potion like this would mean to our society? Can you imagine what cruelties have been erased? Obliviate is not an Unforgivable, but it should be. Such a simple charm, and no one thinks... I know women who have been driven mad by how often it was used against them. You-" she visibly bit her tongue.

Harry felt his gut churn. He was just as guilty, of not thinking of that.

The most horrible thing he had seen done with it, had not been Lockhart stealing people's legacies, but rather Hermione erasing herself from her family's lives.

Harry hated himself for not connecting that Slughorn had this potion.

"Two teaspoons, Ms. Black and you should remember everything."

Harry summoned a teaspoon and handed it to Narcissa.

She gave it back to him, her own hand shaky. But Harry's had to work to keep his own burned hand steady as he fed her the potion.

She shut her eyes, going absolutely still.

"You could be famous for creating this," Harry said softly to the other professor.

"I never wanted fame."

"You didn't want the death threats," Harry corrected.

Slughorn looked away, because, yes, that's what potion like this would mean. It might very well unseat many of their most powerful officials.

Because people were corruptible, and where corruption was not stopped, rot grew.

"Produce this potion Horace Slughorn, in your name."

"It isn't perfected yet, it needs-"

Harry turned on him, "Tom Riddle is a Dark Lord powerful enough to rival Dumbledore. You helped make him so. Grow a spine, and take responsibility for something, you conniving, soft-bellied spider."

Slughorn met his gaze, "I said you could lead Slytherin in a new direction, Mr. Peverell. I still think it. But if you know what Mr. Riddle has planned, why don't you stop him?"

Harry turned back to look at Narcissa who still sat with her eyes closed.

"Tom Riddle killed my wife," he said, "he killed my parents. I don't want him dead, I want him ruined."

"Would you sacrifice the rest to get revenge?"

"He has five, maybe six horcruxes. I could destroy two of them tonight if I liked, but that only means he will hide the others, guard them more jealously. He'll hide in the shadows and pick apart any force that goes at him directly. He means to start a war, not with armies and moving the people toward a common movement, but with assassins and terror. He will be a tick, as bloody to leave in as claw out."

"Why did he kill your parents?" Slughorn asked, "Why Naomi?"

Harry's words were vicious, "Because they found something out that will dismantle everything."

"Mr. Riddle was a half-blood, an orphan, he-"

Harry cut him off, "It was a secret bigger than Riddle, something to shake the very foundation of the magical world."

"You're playing with fire."

He looked at the older man sharply, "No, Professor, fire played with me."

Narcissa eyes flashed open, "I remember."

"What do you remember, Ms. Black?" Slughorn asked, looking ill, sweat dripped down the sides of his face.

"Lucius took me out to dinner, and there was- another wizard. I never saw him, but he was close enough to hear what Lucius said to me throughout the meal because he timed the Imperius curse perfectly."

Her grey-blue stared into Harry like pale sapphires caught in the morning light, "Lucius wasn't interested in me. _He_ didn't want me, he wanted _you_ dead."

Harry sighed, "I get that a lot."

She frowned at him, "I could have killed you."

Harry waved it away, "A little snake curse? Riddle is going to have to try harder than that if he wants me dead."

"What if he hurts Teddy?"

"Then I'm levelling London," Harry answered simply.

"You can't be with him all of the time, you're not with him now," she insisted.

"No, I left him with Lyall Lupin, is about as protecting of his children as I am, and about as vengeful in regard to Naomi as I am. He is safe."

"You don't believe that," she shot back.

He flicked her nose, "You're just picking because you slipped up." Though his worry for Teddy did spike at her words. But then Harry was always worried about Teddy whether he was with him or not.

She batted his hand away, "Don't patronize me."

"It isn't a sign of weakness to ask for help, Narcissa. I could have gone with you to Olivander's if you asked. Hell, you could have asked your sister or Kingsley to go with you. Poppy, Minerva, your father. You didn't have to go alone."

She flushed, "I am independent, I don't need an escort."

"Of course you don't need one, but you had already been attacked when you were armed. Our lessons with wandless magic were not enough to handle an ambush."

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been ambushed."

"That's true."

She glared at him, "You're not going to fight back?"

"I'm an orphan, a widower, and have survived more assassination attempts than I care to recall. Being close to me, being my friend, my lover, those are not safe occupations."

She looked at him, looked at him as if she had never seen him before.

Slughorn suddenly reminded him he was there, "And yet you raised your son on your own."

Harry raised his chin, "I was an orphan, I would have faced all the dangers in the world rather than be raised as I was. I couldn't give him up, not for anything, not even the off chance he would be safer, which as my son, I doubt. I would never risk him to a loveless home. Being neglected, being raised by someone who simply does not care if you live or die, if you are happy or sad, that, _that,_ has no cure."

Narcissa touched his arm, "I'm sorry."

He sighed, "I'm sorry they used you to get to me."

Her hand tightened around his arm, "I'm going to destroy Lucius."

Not kill, _destroy._

Why did Harry find that so damned attractive?

He mentally shrugged, hadn't he just said the same about Riddle. His middle name was Black now, he supposed it was only fitting he embrace his crazy side a little more.

Slughorn coughed, "Yes, well, if you two don't mind, apparently I have a sales pitch to prepare."

"You mean an exit strategy," Narcissa said, her voice sultry.

Harry shivered, wondering at the tension hanging between them.

Slughorn adjusted his collar, "You are feeling better, aren't you? They didn't-"

"I'm fine," she cut him off.

Before Harry could throw in a jab, she pulled him out of the dungeon room with her.

* * *

Narcissa was not feeling great about herself.

Everything felt uncertain.

She should have, as Rell suggested, asked for help.

But even with everything that had happened tonight, all she could think about was Rell. She had learned more about him than she had since meeting him.

The Dark Lord, Tom Riddle, wanted him dead, had already murdered his parents and wife.

No wonder he was so damn protective of his son and so paranoid all of the time. The ease in how he held dealt with the curse surprised her.

They feel of his magic as it burned the curse away, the raw power of him, as well as the competency to handle such specified attack.

With her own training in the Dark Arts, the best she could have done was send it back to kill the messenger.

She was glad he hadn't killed her.

"Thank you," she said as he slowed in the dim hallway.

He looked down at her, his emerald eyes darker than normal. "As you said, it was my fault you were harmed in the first place."

The ribbon from his shoulder length black curls had come undone, so that his raven curls framed his face. Did she have a thing for long hair on men?

Probably.

"I didn't want to be with you because I thought it would be safe or easy."

He tilted his head just a bit, reaching out a hand to tuck back her own curls back from her face, "And why are you interested, Narcissa? You have so much potential, you're young, you're intelligent. You are beautiful, you don't have to choose between a cad and a single father."

She cupped his hand against her the side of her face, the burns on her hands were peripheral to what she said next, "Because I want you. Because I do not care how messy, how dangerous your life is. I'm a Black, my life has always been such, but you, _you,_ actually deal with it. You became a master in Defense, and no matter the misfortune that seems to befall you, you're still kind. You still care."

And Narcissa wanted that, she wanted to care. She was sick of burning bridges, cutting off everyone and everything just so she could escape the inevitable disappointment.

He searched her face, and instead of wasting breath on words, he kissed her.

She let out a sound between a whimper and a groan as he explored her, and in turn, he opened for her exploration. He brought his hands down to wander her shape.

And even through her mediwitch robes, she felt fire where he touched her.

"Narcissa," he growled against her lips.

She bit his lower lip, and told him, "If you stop now, it's over."

Because fuck taking it slow, screw waiting for marriage. They could both find themselves dead in the morning.

She had made her choice, and her choice was him.

He wrapped his arms around her in a solid embrace, and she parted her legs to hold onto him. He broke the kiss long enough to say, "As my lady wishes."

And then they were disapparating.

They appeared in his bedroom with a pop and she let out a breath. "You aren't supposed to be able to do that here," she remarked, though it was not a complaint.

"So I've been told."

The clothes really didn't last long. They mostly raced to undress themselves. One night there would be romance and slow reveals.

Tonight was not that night.

Tonight was about warming each other, about skin on skin, about turning the coals to set the world ablaze.

Everyone said she was cold, distant, harsh, but that wasn't Narcissa. That was the world, the world that inspired such dispassion in her being as everyone made the same mistakes, played the same petty games, over and over again. Everyone trying to escape it only to rebuild the same traps for themselves.

But Rell?

Rell made her burn, made her long for passion, adventure, life.

Tonight was as much about her pleasure as it was claiming him. After tonight he would not be able to simply turn away from her.

Perhaps that was arrogance on her part, she after all, had no idea what she was doing, but when he stretched her out on his sheets, she let her gaze take stock of him as he knelt over her.

His emerald eyes sparked, his own desires sharping when he found its mirror in her, "See something you like?"

His deep voice sent a thrill through her. She tilted her chin up, exposing her throat, knowing the line he drew with his gaze from her neck to the swell of her breasts. "Waiting for him to come across."

She expected him to say something witty, what she got was his parted lips on her neck, his naked flash teasing over hers.

When her whole being was aflame and she thought she might combust if he didn't quit tormenting her, he pulled back to ask, "Narcissa, are you a virgin?"

Panic seized her momentarily, would that be a problem for him?

He must have seen her answer in her expression because he said, "We'll go slow."

" I don't want slow," she wanted him to melt her bones.

But Rell only smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes that hard her pulse racing in the back of her throat as he trailed kisses down her body, until he came to the apex of her thighs.

"Hairy," she thought he said.

She flinched away from him, attempting to close her legs, but he placed his hands on her inner thighs, keeping her spread before him.

"No, Narcissa-" she trembled at the way he said her name. "-I mean Harry short for Henry. My name is Harry."

Still feeling flushed and light headed she tasted his name, "Harry."

The smile he gave her damn near broke her.

And then he removed his glasses and lowered his head over her, and proved that the language of snakes was performed with vibrating tongues.

She shattered, screaming his name and clawing helplessly at the sheets.

A part of her thought it was too much, too much pleasure, too much sensation, and the other part of her was ready to murder him if he didn't finish that climbing promise.

"Harry!" She cried, she damn near sobbed as he brought her over that golden edge again. Deeper, fuller this time as he added fingers.

And then he was above her, and she was ready, more than ready, she was aching for him.

She was tight, so deliciously tight but there was no flash of that sharp pain she had been expecting. She understood then why Harry had insisted on foreplay because as much she wanted him, she had needed it this first time.

He settled his weight once he reached the end of her, their hips flush against her. He kissed her languidly, tasting her, possessing her. She brought her arms up to trace along the firmness of his back.

She shuddered for him, as much from having his length inside her as being allowed to touch him so freely.

He ground into her without pulling out, and in turn, she pulled him closer with one hand at his waist and the other tangling in his wild hair. It was much softer than she had expected those raven curls to be. She deepened the kiss, tried to tell him without words what she wanted, but when he pulled his hips back to thrust into her, he was powerful but slow.

She wanted, no, she _needed_ more friction. She turned her face away from his and he wasted no time in lavishing the bend of her neck in kisses.

"More, Harry, give me more."

His thrusts sped up and he reclaimed her lips with his, but it wasn't enough. She wanted more, she wanted to see him, she wanted all of him.

She straightened her legs and rolled them both, a lifetime of wrestling with her older sisters paying off as she straddled him, taking him fast and hard. He was long but even still, she slipped from inside her a few times. But soon enough they were dancing together, Harry rocking up to meet the lift and roll of her hips.

He laughed, voice husky as his hands explored upward. His callouses scrapped enticingly over the curve of her rear, her hips, her sides, until he found her breasts where he nearly lost his rhythm in matching her.

It was her turn to laugh and she tightened herself around him.

He gasped, his hands fell away as his back arched. She watched the muscles in the column of his neck strain as he fought himself not to lose control.

"Narcissa!" he groaned, his entire body shivered beneath her, and the sight of him like that. Of him coming undone beneath her, _because_ of her-

She came screaming and he let himself go. They collapsed together, his arms coming round to hold her as she settled into the curve of him.

He kissed first her cheek, then the shell of her ear. "You are so beautiful."

She shivered, wriggling closer to him. His front to her back, "Can we do that again?"

Harry laughed, joyous, masculine; hers.

"Sleep first, I may be magic with my tongue but I am not multi-orgasmic."

She huffed, though she remained smiling, "I'll try not to hold it against you."

He nipped her neck and she writhed for him, which caused him to groan and sent his hands roaming. But eventually, they both relaxed completely against each other. Narcissa knew when he slipped into sleep, his body pulling her closer, his limbs becoming heavier.

She felt cherished, safe, and dare she even think it, loved.

She pulled that feeling around her like his sent, filling her lungs as she drifted into the deepest, richest sleep she had ever known.

* * *

AN: I was thinking homicide, and lemons. Though I may have gone a bit overboard with the lemons. Oh, Jacob spare us the angst, oh, Apples you're so pathetic, bah! Murder! I was plotting murder. Dramatic? Of course, attempted homicide is more fun that way ;) As for Harry being a badass, whatever this story is, it isn't action, so it is the causal sort of badassery that comes around and bops you on the back of the head.

Thoughts, reactions, ideas, or homicidal lemons?


	19. Inbreeding

KEYNOTE: Unfortunately, for some, the lemons will be few and far between. I am going to need the 200k to complete all the threads I've woven, so you might get one or two more but other than that I will focus more on Family than Romance.

Chapter 19 – Inbreeding

As a general rule, Harry was a light sleeper. And since Naomi's death, _since_ the war, Harry hadn't really slept well.

Deep sleep in the last four years had been achieved only ever by exhaustion or magic induced.

So waking up from the sun warming his face was- alien, yet so completely welcome.

He let himself sink into that warm feeling, breathing deeply to take in the moment.

Teddy was safe with his Uncle Lyall, and Harry was in his rooms at Hogwarts, and it was Saturday. He had nowhere in that moment to be.

He tensed his muscles, planning to stretch which is when his brain caught up to _why_ he had slept so well, as his body informed him that it was very happy to be here.

Harry tried to see Narcissa, keeping his arms relaxed as to not wake her up.

All he saw was light, her skin so pale that she seemed to be made of sunlight, writhed in gold around the edges.

Carefully, he twisted his hand and his glasses settled themselves on his face.

His breath caught.

Narcissa was…

Impossibly lovely. She had the type of beauty that poets agonized over, that classical painters fantasied about.

And knowing her intelligence, her loyalty for her family, and her unwavering strength, her iron willed sense of self.

Harry felt a surge of possessiveness.

He had never really had a normal relationship, he knew how to be an awkward teenager and how to be a husband. And it wasn't that he hadn't wanted sex over the last three years, it wasn't that he hadn't wanted Narcissa, but he had wanted someone that would stay. Someone who would be welcomed in both his bed, his life, and his son's life.

He knew asking that was a lot to ask of anyone.

That asking someone to stay forever from the beginning was unreasonable.

But he wanted to ask, though he would let her go if she wanted to go, he truly wanted her to stay.

He ran his fingers over her hand, up to the snake shape burn that mirrored his own.

The scar was her blemish, her only physical imperfection. The burn was red, but partially healed on both their hands, not blustered like a non-magical burn should have been. The pain of it was uncomfortable but ignorable.

Harry ran his up her arm, brushing her blonde hair off her shoulder where it sparkled like metallic threads in the morning light.

He kissed her collarbone.

She let out a breath, shifting slightly toward him, but she stayed asleep.

He smiled. S _he is adorable,_ he thought.

And his heart sang. He let himself enjoy this moment, have this hour of peace.

Let the future go, let his past go, let his responsibilities rest for a time.

He had one of the most beautiful women in his arms, naked in his bed.

He planned to take full advantage.

He ran his hands along her so soft skin exposed by the sheet, remembering last night and taking the time now to ingrain the sight of her into his memory.

She woke gradually, and the smile that curled her lips as she blinked up at him was…

Was not the look of a virgin.

The look in her blue eyes was proprietary, knowing, lazy.

The look of a woman who knew she was beautiful and knew the man in her bed was willing to worship her.

Naomi had never looked at him like that. And Naomi hadn't come to him innocent either, but she had not been confident in her appearance, lacked the self-assurance that Narcissa radiated.

That confidence which Harry found so outrageously attractive. Not because he didn't have to be careful, not because he didn't want to pay Narcissa every compliment. But because when he said in a voice deeper than his normal tenor:

"There are no words to express how beautiful you are."

Her answering smile, the look in her eyes, told him that she believed him.

It was an aphrodisiac all its own, one that sent a happy thrill down his spine as he bent to claim her lips.

To be believed where Naomi would have squirmed and averted her eyes. It was a relief, and when Narcissa reached down to squeeze his butt, he let all thoughts, all his worries go.

Right then, words didn't matter.

* * *

Lily woke from sleep in a panic.

She clutched the blankets to her, looking around the room looking for her son, for James, for the madman who had been torturing her.

 _Her son._

Lily rubbed her eyes.

She didn't have a son. She was fifteen!

But-

Shouting outside her bedroom door broke her train of thought.

Her bedroom.

She was back home, no longer at Hogwarts.

"Please, I have to see her," said a familiar voice.

"James!" she called, ready to climb out of bed when she realized she was only wearing an oversized T-shirt. She got her legs back under the covers when James came into the room, hazel eyes wild as they found her.

"You're alive!" he exclaimed. In two bounds he was in her room, on the bed, and hugging the life out of her.

Ordinarily, she would have been throwing a fit about a boy barging into her room. Heck, ordinarily she would be throwing a fit about James' very existence.

But with the memory, the _nightmare_ , still fresh in her mind, she found herself hugging him back.

The sight of his eyes empty, unfocused, his face slack, and his body bonelessly still as she writhed in pain next to him would never leave her.

Nor would the soul deep fear of their son hiding in a cabinet feet away.

When they parted she had tears running down her face.

He didn't look much better. His hair was a mess and the shadows under his eyes made it look like he hadn't gotten any sleep.

She wanted to ask him what he remembered. She wanted to ask about their son.

God, that was weird, but whether what she had seen, felt, _lived,_ had been a vision or somehow someone else's memories, they were real.

And she had a crazy idea about who the little boy had been.

But she looked toward their audience, her parents and James' stared at them in bewilderment for a moment longer before her dad and mum came in to fret.

It took some convincing but within half an hour, she had changed into fresh clothes in her bathroom and was alone with James back in her room, both of them with mugs of tea and tray of crackers between them.

James had woken up before her, and had demanded to see her, pestered his parents until they had brought him here.

The 'adults' were conferencing downstairs about their sanity and wellbeing.

"What do you remember?" Lily asked once she was absolutely sure no one was lingering by her door.

"Dying," he said, looking down into his tea looking exhausted, "I remember… I remember breaking. He broke me."

Lily shuddered, she knew, she had seen, and it had taken him much longer to break her mind, but, "He broke me too."

James looked up, "Then that- _thing,_ got our son?"

A part deep inside her being stilled, glad he was the first to say it. "No, I couldn't talk, once, once he- that thing, was through with me. I guess neither of us really broke, seeing as we didn't tell him about whatever it was he wanted to know and we both kept quiet about where our son was hiding."

"Do you know who he was?" he asked.

"By he? Do you mean Mr. Crazy or the little boy with your hair and my eyes?"

James looked at her for a long moment, then said what they both knew to be true, "Professor Henry Peverell is our son."

"Harry," Lily snapped, "his name is Harry."

James shook his head, "How the hell is this possible? We can't have had a son, we- Rell is twice our age."

"He's in his early twenties actually."

" _Lily_ ," James said exasperated.

"This is so weird. You realize we are also grandparents?"

"Are we? How is this even possible? How-"

"Isn't it obvious?"

James glared at her, "How is any of this obvious?"

She smiled, "Time travel."

He gaped at her, "No… no- Oh, Merlin."

Lily at a cracker, thinking through the idea more thoroughly, "I mean it would make sense, right? He comes out of nowhere, one of the best wizards in Britain and _nobody_ has heard of him before. _And yet_ he knows Hogwarts, like really well. It has to be time travel, it has to be."

James ate a cracker too, then took a sip of tea, "Yeah, I guess it does. It's also why he seems to know everything without knowing anyone." Then he looked up sharply, "Sirius said Harry said that his parents and his wife were murder by the Dark Lord Voldemort, Tom Marvolo Riddle."

She drank from her mug, clinging to it to help bring warmth back to her fingers, "I guess the question is now, how can we remember the future?"

"I have a lot more questions than that but yeah, that's the big one. How could it have been so real? I felt it, I actually felt it. And I was so afraid for you and Harry. I can't believe he survived. He must have gone into shock or something in order to stay quiet through that."

Lily had to focus on her breathing, in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to find Lord Tom and kill him. "You know, I'm surprised at you," she ventured.

James looked at her questioningly.

She flushed, "If this really is the future we lived, then, well, then, you and I are- I mean you and I end up together."

"Lily," James said, sounding much older than he was, "being tortured to death by a psycho as our baby son looks on is about the least romantic thing I've ever heard."

She nodded, even though a part of her, a very small part of her, was hurt by his rejection. He had been an annoying pest for her entire time at school, and now…

He touched her hand gently, "Lils, I like you, I really do. But this month… I helped get one of my friends killed and this- whatever this dream-thingy is, it looks like I made a lot of bad choices. I don't think I'm the person I thought I was."

She shook her head, grabbing his hand to squeeze it, "You're a good person, James Potter. You're obnoxious and you can do some really, really, and I mean really stupid things sometimes, but that doesn't make you a bad person. What happened to Peter was an accident, and this-"

He squeezed her hand back, "If Harry is a time traveller, maybe the future has already changed, maybe we weren't supposed to know this."

She felt her temper rise, like rising steam off of hot bathwater, "Yes, the future has changed. Because I'm not living through that again. Whoever Tom Riddle thinks he is, he's going down."

He looked a bit nervous at this, "Maybe we should make sure Rell really is our Harry."

"We should get DNA samples from him and Teddy then."

They both stilled at the idea of Teddy.

James shook his head, no, then said it out loud, very firmly, "No, no, if we so much as take a hair from Teddy's head Rell will kill us."

"Or get us expelled."

"But how are we going to get a sample from Harry? He's so, so-"

"Paranoid?" James offered, "At least now we know why."

A knock came at the door, and Lily ripped her hand back from James as her mum came into the room. "We have dinner ready, we made white rice, nothing heavy."

"We'll be right down, Mum, thanks."

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans."

Mum hesitated at the door, "You should know, Vernon is out here, Lily dear."

Lily groaned.

"Who's Vernon?" James asked.

"Vernon Dursley is my sister's fiancé," she said sourly.

A small smile curled his lips, "Is he that bad?"

"He's a pig," she said flatly.

James looked at her mum, "And you're letting him marry your daughter?"

"My daughters make their own choices," Mum said, resigned, closing the door behind her.

"We've all tried to talk Tuni out of it. She knows we all hate him. Dad's tried to scare him off, but the guy is thick, and I think the less we all like him the more determined she is to go through with it."

"How bad could he be?"

Lily set her mug down on the side table, "You can meet the Pig yourself."

* * *

Vernon was as bad as Lily said. And with all of them in their small dining room, Vernon Dursley seemed to take up too much space.

He kept scowling at his parents, himself, and Lily, as if they had leprosy or something.

Finally, he asked, "What's your problem?"

"James," his mother chided.

But Mr. Evans said coldly, "Mr. Dursley is afraid of magic."

"I'm not afraid," Vernon grumbled, but it looked like he wanted to say something worse.

"Oh, Lily," Mrs. Evans said, "That reminds me, Vernon is related to your Professor Peverell."

James felt his eyes go wide, "What!?"

"We are not related," Vernon bit out, "my parents fostered him after our neighbors were murdered. My parents saw it as the responsible thing to do, of course, Harry was always ungrateful. He was lazy and always causing trouble."

Lily bristled, "You don't know anything about him."

Vernon sneered, actually sneered at her, "I grew up with him, girl. He isn't a suave as he pretends to be."

"I heard Professor Peverell is the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher since Dumbledore himself taught the subject," James's mum said.

"He is," James said, "His classes are-" he cut himself off before he said 'insane.'

Lily coughed, "Practical, very practical but never boring."

"Has Remus become closer to him?" Dad asked him, "Or has it created problems to be the new professor's nephew."

James shook his head, "They have gotten closer but Remus has not been treated any differently. Professor Peverell is extremely fair, if he shows any sort of favouritism it is toward the Slytherins."

Lily snorted, "That's only because his mantra is survival, and Slytherins tend to be good at that."

James shrugged, "He also likes bold action."

"Harry Peverell is a menace to society," Vernon cut him off, "I don't know how anyone could possibly hire him to teach, much less enjoy his company."

Mrs. Evans snapped, "One might wonder the same of you."

"Mum!" Petunia exploded.

As the argument started, James leaned over to whisper to Lily, "Not so obvious."

Because if Vernon Dursley grew up with Harry in this timeline, then maybe time travel wasn't the answer.

* * *

Kingsley accompanied Narcissa to get a new wand at Ollivander's.

Mr. Ollivander was furious on her behalf for the stolen wand. "It was is one thing to lose a wand in a duel, quite another in an ambush."

"I killed a few of my attackers," she said blandly.

"Good," Ollivander said briskly as he all but stomped into his aisle to find another wand for her.

Kingsley shared an amused look with her.

Ollivander came out a moment later, "This one called to you last you came here, but the other called louder. Nonetheless, I think this wand is more suited to a young woman than a young girl."

The moment the wand was in her hand, it warmed and emerald, ruby, and white sparks emitted.

"This will do," she said, hiding how pleased she was. This wand was a dark brown, the handle smooth. It was long, elegant, but comparatively simple to her adorned Blackthorn wand.

"Cedar wand, 11 inches, dragon heartstring of a Chinese Firebolt. I find that those who favour Cedar wands have an uncommon strength of character and unusual loyalty. It is also a wand, well, it is quite useful for offensive magic."

She nodded, "Thank you." She paid and they exited the shop.

Kingsley was oddly quiet as they walked down the street. She needed to pick up supplies for Madame Pomfrey at the apothecary before they departed.

"What is it?" she demanded.

He stiffened, "Nothing."

"Kingsley."

He sighed, "Your sisters," he sighed again, "your sisters have something they would like to discuss with you."

"Do they?" she asked blandly, "And why should that upset you so?"

"I think Malfoy should be held at the courts. A lifetime sentence is-"

"Is escapable," she cut him off, "and I will not go through the slander. You put him on trial and he has at least a fifty-fifty chance of getting out. In the process, I will be made a laughing stock."

"Too my knowledge, Sirius is the only Black who has inspired laughter in anyone," Kingsley said drily.

"If Lucius's fate bothers you, you're are marrying into the wrong family."

He stopped, and as she was on his arm, she stopped as well. "What if this pushes Bella over the edge?"

Narcissa's heart softened a bit, "It won't."

"How can you know that?"

"Because we haven't asked a terrible thing of her, and Lucius attacked her family. Bella will be fine."

"The law-"

"The law is inefficient."

"But-"

She pulled back from him, "Do you realize what he could have done to me?"

He scowled, he was an Auror, of course, he knew. "You shouldn't have been alone."

"It was evening, the sun was still up. And yes, I admit, I should have been more cautious or apparated right in front of Ollivander's shop, but that isn't permission, that isn't an excuse for him attacking me. For attacking Harry."

Kingsley frowned, "Who is Harry?"

"Henry Peverell."

Understanding flashed across his expression, then he asked, "Will he press charges?"

"He would if I asked him to, but he was very blasé about the whole thing."

"Blasé? Who the hell is blasé about an assassination attempt?"

She said nothing. Narcissa was well and truly entangled with Mr. Peverell, but he had let a few things slip last night that had made her believe there was much more to learn about her lover.

"Be careful of him, Narcissa."

She patted Kingsley's arm, "If he betrays me, what I do to him will be far worse than the fate awaiting Malfoy."

"Don't give me details, please, what I don't know I can't lie about."

* * *

Lucius was tied to a chair in the basement of Grimmauld Place.

It was the first time Andromeda had been back her years, but Father hadn't said a word when he stepped back to let her in.

Apparently, an unconscious traitor of the family slung over ones shoulder was enough to buy entrance back into the Black family.

At least for the night.

Narcissa did not know what Andromeda and Bella, or her father for that matter, had done to Lucius. But by the time she saw him, he barely had enough strength to sit up in the chair, even with the ropes holding him.

He glared at her with bloodshot eyes as she entered. They stood in a triangle around him, so that he would have to turn his head to see each as they spoke, so that no matter where he kept his focus, he would always be blind to at least one of them.

He didn't seem to like that. He didn't seem to like that at all.

"You little whore, my Lor-" he roared with pain when Bella jabbed at his eye with her wand.

Which probably explained the bloodshot eyes.

He twisted in his seat, squeezing his eyes tight as both his eyes watered.

"Oh poor little Lucy, bug caught in your eye?" Narcissa cooed.

"We can cut them out if they are bothering you?" Andromeda offered kindly.

Bella let out a giddy laugh.

Narcissa stepped closer, pulling her wand to tilt his chin up. He looked up at her with fear, humiliation, and most of all rage. Rage as he tried to rebuild himself.

They couldn't have that.

Narcissa trailed her wand up to his hair line, and with a flick of her wand, a chunk of his fair hair fell to the ground like a ribbon.

His chaw tightened, and he glared at her, "It will grow back. A quick spell and everything you do to me-"

Narcissa laughed, "You think we are going to leave your mind in tact? Oh, my dear Luce, you will never be able to intelligibly be able to cast a spell again." She continued to chop away at his hair.

For a moment she thought he might crap himself, and he said with a thread of desperation, "Bella is marrying an Auror."

Bella put a hand on his newly bold head, "The Auror is marrying a Black." She licked up his jaw to the shell of his ear.

He flinched away from her as if he had been scalded.

"Would you like to know you're fate?" Narcissa asked, sitting across his lap, brushing his cut hair off his shoulders onto the floor.

He said nothing, so proud.

That would change.

Bella whispered in his ear, "We are going to take your memories from you, like you thought you could do to Cissa."

Panic crossed his expression, breaking that mask of arrogance, "I took less than an hour. I meant her no harm."

Narcissa undid his cravat, "Unfornutaly, Lucy, my darling, we cannot say the same."

Andromeda put her hands on his shoulders, and leaned in to whisper in his other ear, "We mean you harm."

"You know," Narcissa said flirtatiously, "As your fiancé, I have certain rights. I cannot, let's say, take gold from your vault, but I can direct funds to help you, help you if you find yourself in need of medical assistance."

"We can settle this in court, Narcissa," Lucius said, desperation ruffling his words.

"No, no, Lucius, no courts, you're going to disappear."

"My Lord will find me."

"Your Tom Riddle will find you in a muggle asylum, stripped of wealth, memory, power-" Andromeda said.

"-and sanity," Bella finished. "He won't save you. He'll leave you to rot. They all will. There's nothing St. Mungo's could do for you anyway."

Andromeda dug her nails into his shoulders, apparently hitting some tender parts because he gasped, "I found a nice little place, near a cow field in the United States of America in Southern Texas. I heard their ACs break down a lot, but I'm sure with your inheritance being donated, they will be able to get you your own unit."

"What is an AC?" Lucius asked, his voice higher than normal.

Narcissa patted his cheek, "The muggles will teach you."

Which is when he snapped, he began struggling, "Get off me! Get off me! You damned freaks!"

They laughed at him, and the tears that fell down his cheeks made them laugh harder.

They had won, and he knew there was no saving himself.

Narcissa stood, kicking his thighs apart and Andromeda held him in place so that he couldn't tip the chair.

Narcissa brought her heel done on his soft bits.

Lucius screamed.

They gave him time to feel the pain.

"I feel like this was too fast," Bella pouted.

"He doesn't deserve more time."

Andromeda pulled back Lucius's head, so he looked up at her, "Where is your Dark Lord?"

He whimpered.

"Tell us and we will let you go," she lied.

"Riddle Manor, a muggle town, Little Hangleton," he gasped, his words tripping over themselves.

"How many followers?" Narcissa asked.

"Thirteen Death Eaters, and about twenty others," he said quickly.

It was not enough to save him, no matter how corporative he was being.

"How many of them are still in school?" she asked.

"There were fifteen, now five, or maybe less. Peverell has made the Slytherins wary of commitment."

Narcissa felt a thrill of pride go through her.

Her Harry.

"And Riddle's Horcruxes?" Narcissa asked.

Andromeda and Bella looked at her sharply, even Lucius looked surprised.

"What are yo-" he began but then he seemed to connect something, "I don-"

Bella jabbed at his eye again.

He yelled at her wordlessly.

So she shot a stinging hex at his bruised junk.

His scream reached to a glass breaking volume.

"In the Malfoy Manor!" he yelled desperately, "Please, Merlin stop!"

"What is it?" Narcissa asked.

"A diary. He gave it to me, he told me to keep it safe on pain of death."

"Well, you will get to keep your life," Bella told him cheerfully.

"Is that all?" Narcissa asked.

"All I know?" he asked.

She lowered her brows, and he scrambled, "I didn't even know what it was! I don't know about any other possible Horcruxes! You're only supposed to be able to make one!"

"Is that all you can tell us?" Andromeda asked.

And Lucius sang for them.

He gave them everything.

And it was not enough to save him.

Bella Obliviated him, and she took everything. She whipped his mind clean and clear as a window.

Andromeda slid a one-way, one-use portkey in the shape the form of peacock feather into his breast pocket.

Lucius didn't try to stand as they undid the binding charm. He blinked into the darkness around him, blinked up at their lamp lit faces.

"You're beautiful," he said to them. Then he frowned, "Where am I? Who am I?"

"Lucy Smith," Andromeda said at once.

"Don't forget to ask the kind nurses about the ACs," Narcissa told him.

He looked at her earnestly, shifting to rub at his arms, "ACs? Why? What's so important about ACs? Where am I?"

"ACs are torture devices they use on criminals like you," Andromeda said seriously.

"Torture?" he asked worriedly.

"Like this," Bella sang, then kicked him where it counts.

He screamed, and Narcissa snapped her fingers after Bella removed her heel, activating the portkey that whisked him out of the country.

Bella sat in the chair, "That was fun."

"How soon do you think it will take his Dark Lord to find him?" Andromeda asked, bending to hug Bella from behind.

"Does it matter?" she asked, "you know he will just leave him there. And even if his father was freed from his sentence, the head of the Malfoy family isn't going to admit his only child, his only male heir is ruined."

Bella patted Andromeda's arms, "I'm just glad our father welcomed you home, you can be my maid of honour without having to keep it secret to the day now."

Andromeda hugged her tighter, she was the middle child, but in a way, Andromeda would always be the protective older sister. She looked up at Narcissa, "So when are you bringing this Mr. Peverell over for supper?"

* * *

Harry arrived at the Lupins not long after Narcissa departed his rooms. They had lunch in bed.

It had been… very fun.

He was freshly showered and smiling when Hope opened the door and Teddy came running at him.

Harry scooped him up and Teddy clung to him. "Daddy!"

"Hey, my little man, how was your night with the Lupins?"

Teddy clung to him a little tighter, "Uncle Lye told me a story about Sunny Bodler."

"Sunny Baudelaire?" Harry asked, turning a glare on Lyall, "You read a three year old stories from Lemony Snicket?"

Looking a bit sheepish, Lyall shook his head, "No, I simply told him the story of a little girl with a penchant for chewing."

"She has magic teeth," Teddy told Harry.

Harry sighed, "Yes, I suppose she does." He sat down at the table where Teddy had been colouring pictures.

Hope set a cup of tea down for Harry, and he asked, "How's Remus?"

She made a face, "As well as can be expected. James's parents sent a letter this morning. He is safe and appears completely well. Though they had to take him to the Evans house, he was extremely worried about Ms. Lily Evans."

Harry was left wondering if they had seen a version of what he had. And not just seen but _lived_. Which for Lily and James, might be far more traumatic given they were both teenagers.

Lyall patted his shoulder, "They are going to make it through this, your worry won't do them much good."

Harry smiled at the man. It was so strange, to go from having no family to having all these strings tying him to all these different people.

"Hi Uncle Rell," Remus said morosely as he came into the room.

"Go ahead and call me Harry," he said, "everyone is now."

Lyall looked at him oddly, "Why the change?"

Harry kissed the side of Teddy's head, "I went from having no family to having more people in my life than I could possibly imagine. Family calls me Harry."

Lyall smile lit up his eyes, "I am honoured you consider us such."

"James said in his letter that your cousin Vernon was awful," Remus said.

"My foster family is awful."

"But they must like Teddy?" Hope said.

"I don't think they knew Teddy existed, and if they knew I got married, it wasn't I who told them."

"They can't be that bad," Remus said, "Muggles aren't evil."

"The general populous of muggles, no," Harry agreed, "but the Dursleys, well, they make for good candidates for the description."

Teddy tapped at Harry's hand, "Daddy owwy?"

Harry tapped Teddy's hand back, "It's healing, I met an angry snake."

"A nope rope?"

"A nope rope," Harry agreed.

"Nope rope?" Remus asked, confused.

And then they chorused, "Nope ropes, the important thing to note is no step on no nope ropes because no nope rope likes to be stepped on or else you know why nope ropes are called nope, nope ropes!"

Teddy was pretty advanced for his age group, partially because Harry read him a lot of stories and partly because he got Teddy to 'read' the stories back to him. Which was more memorizing than understanding the words on the page.

Remus looked at him oddly.

Teddy answered that look, "No step on snek."

Lyall and Hope laughed.

"How is Rosie?" Teddy asked.

Harry hissed, and Rosie the black and white Kingsnake unwound from her hidden perch on Harry's shoulder to coil gently on Teddy's shoulders.

Rosie main desire most days was to sleep and eat. Mainly sleep, though she did like to soak in warm water.

"You carry a snake around with you always?" Remus remarked, "Guess you really are a Slytherin."

"Rosie is my familiar."

"Who names a snake Rosie?"

" _Who names a werewolf Lupin?"_ Rosie hissed, " _A little on the nose, is it not?"_

Harry suppressed a chuckle.

And then Lyall said something that completely stripped away Harry's good mood.

"Harry," he said, "I think Teddy might need a check up at St. Mungo's."

His hands immediately went to his son, "What's wrong?"

Teddy put down his crayon and hugged Rosie to him, "I'm okay, Daddy."

Harry turned him in his lap, looking for anything, the dilation of his eyes, every inch of exposed skin. He felt his forehead for a temperature, and then he pulled his Holly wand to run a diagnose spell.

"It's his hearing," Lyall said.

"His hearing?" Harry echoed, "Teddy's hearing is incredible. Teddy, what happened?"

"His hearing is too good," Lyall said, "he said loud noises hurt him."

A million little things and incidents ran through Harry's mind, and he was so incredibly angry with himself for not putting it together. "Teddy, is that true, do loud noises hurt you?"

Teddy nodded, looking guilty.

Harry had to work to calm his tone, he was mad at himself, not Teddy, but he had to ask, "Why didn't you tell me, Teddy? You know you can tell me anything."

Teddy dipped his head, and he muttered, "You're not loud."

Harry sighed, and hugged his son to him, Rosie rested her head on Teddy's heart. He asked Lyall, "How do I schedule an appointment a St. Mungo's?"

Hope laughed, "You just show up. St. Mungo's really isn't organized enough for planned visits."

"Are you okay to leave now, Teddy?"

Teddy nodded into Harry's chest.

Harry stood, and said to Lyall, "Thank you." Before he disapparated.

* * *

Harry wished he had brought Teddy's crayons and colouring book with them because as their issue wasn't strictly an emergency the ended being stuck in the waiting room for hours.

They resorted to playing a thousand questions with Rosie, who after the hundredth question over detailed about the rat she once caught herself only for a pet store owner to chastise her for it, did the Kingsnake start sighing.

Teddy began shifting his hair an eye colour to match Rosie, then started shifting to match every person in the waiting room.

Most people who entered looked at them like they were crazy, some dude talking to a snake with a metemorphmegus son asking him to translate back and forth to the snake as he changed colours.

At least no one accused them of being boring.

Finally, a mediwitch called them in to a room to be seen, where they had to wait fifteen minutes longer for a medi-wizard to come in.

Harry recognized him instantly.

Ted Tonks.

He felt his heart race, as the friendly man smiled at him.

And as real as Naomi was to Harry now, was as real as Andromeda and Nymphadora had been.

Ted Tonks, Teddy's namesake and grandfather. Ted Tonks, the man's whose death along with Nymphadora had driven Andromeda to take her own life.

Leaving Harry utterly alone with a baby in a world divided by war.

"So sorry for the long wait, Professor Peverell. I am Ted Tonks, I am most skilled in treating patients who come in contact with the Dark Arts or cursed objects, but all mediwitches and mediwizards are trained to do basic check ups. Also, my daughter is a metamorphmegus so they thought I would be useful to you."

Harry nodded, "Teddy is healthy, but loud noises and voices are causing him trouble."

"Ah, sensitive hearing," Ted said kindly, speaking to Teddy, "Well, little man can you sit up straight for me?"

Teddy looked at Ted with wide, wide eyes. Harry had, of course, told Teddy stories of his grandfather, and Harry wasn't quite sure what lie he could spin, but instead of saying anything, Teddy held his arms out to the other man.

Ted smiled delightedly, pulling the boy into a hug, before setting him beside Harry on the bench seat. "Thank you for the hug, son. Can you tell me how long things have been too loud?"

"Anybody can be loud," he informed his grandfather, "or loud things can happen."

"Can you remember when things weren't loud?" Ted asked as he tapped Teddy's knees, before running a much more advanced series of diagnoses charms that Harry was now determined to learn.

"Daddy isn't loud."

Ted nodded, then he looked up at Harry, "Has he ever had balance issues? Hand and eye coordination delays?"

"No," Harry said, "Teddy has always been extremely graceful, and the older he gets the more active. He learned how to walk quite quickly. His crawling phase was quite short to what the range most child care books described."

"Interesting," Ted said, frowning as he shinned a lit wand into Teddy's eyes, "Look at the light for me, Teddy."

"It's bright," Teddy complained trying to pull back and hide against Harry's side.

"Does sunlight and bright room lights bother you? Like things being too loud?"

Teddy shook his head, "Lights are supposed to be bright, it's not like people being loud."

"Do you see well in the dark?"

Teddy nodded, "Unless it's really, _really_ dark. I'm not afraid of the dark." He said the last with an upraised chin, his eyes flashing emerald.

"And your shifting ability, can you change your hair and eye colour to anything you want?"

"And length!" Teddy told him, "I can also change my skin colour." He held out his tiny arms and they turned black and white like Rosie, then green, then blue, then violet.

"What about your height, and facial features, like you're nose?"

Teddy shifty his nose into a clown's nose, then wiggled his fingers until they looked like they were double jointed. He couldn't hold it for long, but it was extraordinary for someone his age.

Ted hmmed.

"What?" Harry asked, clearly the man had spotted something.

"Well, for starters, Teddy should not be so well coordinated. Metamorphmegi are infamous for their balance issues. And your son is clearly a powerful metamorphmegus. The lack of physical coordination is the result of unstable forms, and extra growing as well as the extra energy needed to shift."

"I eat a lot," Teddy said.

Ted looked at Harry, who answered, "Probably double or triple what his peers in his age group eat. His metabolism is very fast."

Ted pulled an ear scope out of his robe pocket, "Teddy, can you let me look into your ears please, it might tickle, but I promise it won't hurt."

Teddy consented and clung to Harry's hand as he sat very still.

"Deep breaths for me, Teddy, no need to hold your breath."

Teddy let out a gasp and sucked in another breath like a fish.

Ted was finished in a minute and he pulled out a thumb stick in his hand.

Harry narrowed his eyes, "What do you think the issue is, Doc?"

Ted chuckled, "I know I'm a healer, but I appreciate the title. Naomi Lupin was your wife, correct?"

Harry nodded as Teddy said, "My mum."

"I have a suspicion, but I would like to run a few tests first. We have Naomi's samples," Ted pulled a second stick, "Might I have yours as well?"

Harry nodded, and wondered what they hell would turn up in those tests. The goblins had assured him that Teddy was his, and no matter what timeline/universe, Teddy was a Lupin.

Though, would maternal or paternal make a difference?

"This is going to prick your finger, it hurts only a little."

" _Like a snake kiss,"_ Rosie reassured from her master's shoulder where she had resettled herself.

Harry didn't pass along that reassurement.

But Teddy was very brave, he held out his hand to his grandfather, and jumped only a little at the prick.

Harry hardly felt it, his pain tolerance was such that short of a knee to the groin or the Torture Curse, he could probably handle it. Probably.

"I'll be back shortly."

When Ted left Teddy asked, "Is Doctor Ted, grandpa Ted?"

Harry pulled him into a hug. Harry couldn't lie to him, though he didn't really know anymore what the truth was, "Yes, but it is okay just to call him Ted."

"He didn't recognize me."

"This is the first time he's met you."

"Is Grandma Andy dead?"

"No," Harry said, heart clenching. And as well as they had done here, a part of him hated the time travel. Hated having to lie about it. Or in this case, possibly explaining it.

How does one explain the unexplainable?

"Why hasn't she come to see me? Doesn't she love me?"

Harry wondered when Teddy had become so much more- _intelligent_ didn't seem the right word, he had always been smart for his age. _Advanced_ , seemed right. But then, if like Harry, he had twice the memories, maybe it was like Harry's magic. Two life times of memories, two life times' worth of studying, at Hogwarts, at the muggle school. Years of war, years of being a librarian. Not older, per say, but _more_. Maybe it was the same for Teddy.

Double the family time, double the running and playing memories, double the number of hours of reading and reciting rhymes.

"Of course she loves you, but the magic did something weird to us all, Teddy."

"Weird?" Teddy asked.

"Do you know who Nymphadora is?" Harry asked.

Teddy's smile was brilliant, "She's the girl in my dreams, she's my best friend!"

Harry blinked, "What dreams?"

"When I'm sleeping. She's like me, but she falls over a lot and she's a girl. We're friends and Grandma Andy is her mum."

Harry had a headache, and if he ever died for real one day, he was going to find Ignotus Peverell and beat the crap out of him.

"Ted is Nymphadora's dad."

"Oh," Teddy said, then frowned at his hands. "But he's not Mum's dad?"

"He's not Naomi's dad, no."

"Oh," Teddy said again, looking confused. "Then who are my grandparents?"

Harry wasn't sure how to answer that one and was saved by Ted coming in with a mediwitch.

Harry could tell something was wrong but the strained smile on Ted's face, "Mr. Peverell, might I speak with you a minute. Ms. Greengrass can wait with your son out in the waiting room, if that is acceptable."

Harry stood and helped Teddy down to his feet. He knelt before his son, "Stay in the waiting room, don't go anywhere with anyone. We will get dinner after this, alright?"

Teddy nodded, and Harry looped Rosie over his head. Harry glared at the mediwitch, "Do not take him anywhere. Do not leave that waiting room."

"Nothing is going to happen to him," Ted assured him.

But the mediwitch said, "What if he has to use the restroom?"

Harry looked at his son, "Do you have to use the restroom?"

"No," he said.

Harry looked back at the witch, "Then he can wait. If he isn't that room sitting beside you, I will be holding you responsible."

She frowned up at him, "It's a hospital, sir. No one gets attacked in a hospital."

Harry smiled at her, and it was his smile that Hermione had called the sign that he had a few loose screws, "I am the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. I do not know you, I do not trust you. You will sit in that room you say you will be in or you will return my son to me."

Her expression turned dark. "Or what?"

His smile grew, "Or I will make Albus Dumbledore look like a charlatan."

She paled, took Teddy's hand, saying, "Hey little Peverell, why don't you tell me about your pet snake?"

"Her name is Rosie," Teddy told her primly.

When the door shut behind them, Ted asked, "Are you always that protective?"

He shrugged, "Someone tried assassinating me last night, you can never be too careful."

Ted nodded, probably having heard the story already, or at least enough of it to suspect. "To get to the chase, Mr. Peverell, your son has lycanthropy."

Harry saw spots for a moment, as he thought of the pain his son would go through during transformations.

"I personally did the tests so this information stays confidential."

Harry swallowed, and he asked, "When is he likely to shift?"

"Assuming by that question, he has never shifted before, possibly never. Naomi also tested positive for lycanthropy, but she did not shift to my knowledge either."

Harry confirmed as much, "It's hereditary?"

"It appears so, but I do not believe it is contagious. All the same, I urge you to treat open wounds seriously and never let Teddy give blood or bleed onto another person."

"Of course," Harry said, "Is he-"

"Alright?" Ted cut him off, "Quite so, the advanced hearing, balance, appetite, and vision seems to be the only markers that the gene did indeed pass on. It is possible that he might deal with heightened aggression as he gets older, and I urge you to keep an extra close eye on him during puberty, but I have no serious concerns for him. I've also treated Mr. Remus Lupin when he came in after his attack. He and Lyall Lupin will probably be able to tell you any more secondary problems outside of the change itself that might be possible."

Harry sighed, knowing at some point this would come out and effect Teddy. Stupid wizarding world and its prejudices. "Was there anything in my blood work that-"

"No, no, your son seems to inherited nothing but the best, though-"

"Though what?" Harry demanded.

Teddy flipped over the paper he was holding, it looked more confusing than the charts muggles use. All lines and dots and slashes. It looked almost like two Jackson Pollock paintings.

"See this," he pointed at blob on the shorter chart, "This is where our genetic magical abilities tend to show up. Metamorphmegus is here-" blob, "and the lycanthropy is here." He pulled another chart, "This is Remus's chart, that I shouldn't show you, but I doubt you understand most of what these shapes mean anyway. Do you see how the lycanthropy is more tightly tied to Teddy's genetics, more natural, and it almost overlaps with the metamorphmegus ability." He pulled yet another chart that Harry could sort of understand was missing the werewolf blob, "And this is Nymphadora's chart, so you can see the metemorphmegus ability."

Harry looked between the charts, and he could hardly tell any of them apart, he asked casually, "How, er, how can you tell who's related to who from these?"

"Oh, that's easy," Ted walked over to the bench and spread out the charts. "Here, you can clearly see that you are Teddy's father, and Naomi Lupin his mother. The waves ripple in the same parts and alternate accordingly." Ted said with a smile, "And here is something else I wanted to show you, see that there, I think that's your parselmouth ability. I know that because I study the Dark Arts effects on the human body, and while not exactly Dark Arts, it is a type of wild magic, Teddy is still very young, but see here, between the ages of ten and twelve he might inherit your gift. He doesn't quite have the ability to channel as much magic as you, but again, he is still quite young."

"You can tell how much magic someone can channel from a drop of blood?"

Ted smiled, "The whole pureblood mania isn't just propaganda, I'm afraid. Though, I've been studying these charts for years and I haven't noticed a significant difference between muggleborns and purebloods, only that magical lines can inherit powers."

Harry was amazed, and kind of awed that he really was related to Teddy. Teddy was Naomi and his son. Which made him wonder if his other life had been the fake one.

"And this," Ted was saying, "you can see that Naomi and Remus are related but not parent and child, while-" he cut himself off, staring down at the maps in astonishment.

"What?" Harry asked, hoping like hell that Ted wasn't about to say what Ted was about to say next.

"This is impossible." Ted moved Teddy's map between his and Naomi's maps to between Remus's and Nymphadora's.

Teddy's map didn't change, but in the way of an optical illusion, the similarities and patterns were remininsant of both sets of parents.

Ted moved the Teddy's map back and forth between them, "Um?"

"Ted?" Harry asked.

But Ted wasn't paying attention, he started flipping the maps upside down, "How? What-?"

"Ted?"

Ted looked almost frantic, "This can't be possible. How can he be directly related to four-"

Ted opened his notebook, and Harry saw the names of Remus and Nymphadora. The charts he pulled out where Lyall's, Hope's, Ted's, and Andromeda's.

"He isn't your grandchild," Ted said to himself, tracing the lines and blotches with his fingers. "But he is my grandchild and Lyall's?"

Harry put a hand on Ted's shoulder, and he jumped, charts going everywhere. Harry waved his free hand and the papers righted themselves.

Ted looked at the sheet left on the top, "Um, I don't know how to explain this, but according to you're son's chart, he has four parents."

Harry, who had been half expecting this and was almost positive his own chart would look just as strange with Potters and the Evans's chart, said, "But he is my son, and Naomi's, correct?"

"Yes?" Ted said uncertainly, frowning down at the paper, before shaking himself, "Yes. My daughter is the same age as your son, genetic anomalies happen. Are you related to the Blacks by chance?"

"I am, though distantly, I think. My parents died when I was very young, so I have no way to be sure."

Ted nodded, "Ah, that might be it, and, um, are you a pureblood?"

"No, half-blood."

Ted's smile was uneasy, but Harry could see him rationalizing a solution, "Then I guess I and your muggle relatives must have a tie, that must be it. And Hope is a pureblood or half-blood, she's- well, she's-"

Harry asked, "How closely am I related to your wife? She's a Black too, correct?"

"Oh," Ted said, "Um, I shouldn't but, well, Dromeda will forgive me." He pulled his and her chart back out, "Not close, third or second cousins at the absolute closest. Oddly, Teddy's chart looks closer, but then the Lupins are purebloods too."

Harry sighed a breath of relief, not that anything short of siblings could have made him regret last night, it was still nice to know that Narcissa and he were not inbreeding. At least, not overtly so.

"So, about Teddy's hearing problem?"

"Ah yes," Ted pulled a strip of paper from his pocket, "This is an order you need to give to a metal smith who charms hearing aids. Unfornutaly, it's closed for the day, but they'll be able to charm hearing pieces that will prevent a max volume barrier. Teddy's hearing will still be far above average, but loud noises will be toned down to tolerable levels. You might have to go back for adjustments, but they are perfectly safe unless, you know, he swallows them."

"Teddy does not put random objects in his mouth."

Ted smiled, "That's good to hear, as for his light sensitivity, just make sure he has sunglasses on bright days, even overcast days might strain his vision causing headaches.

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Doctor Tonks."

Ted's smile was infectious, "Well, you're my last patient of the day. Can I tempt you to accompany me for dinner at my home? I know my wife is eager to meet you." His smile turned to a sly grin, telling Harry he had known exactly why Harry had wanted to know how closely related he was to Andromeda, "As would my sister in laws."

Harry grinned back as they walked out into the waiting room, where Teddy ran at him, "We would be delighted."

* * *

KEYNOTE: Yep, Teddy's DNA altered to that of Naomi's and Harry's but not wholely so, because, fucked up magic ;) Also, NO I will never, ever, ship Teddy and Nymphadora, ick.

* * *

AN: Hope y'all appreciate how long these chapters are, this one is four times as long as my old average. Takes all bloody day to write.

Thoughts, reactions, ideas, or nope ropes, please?


	20. Bad Intentions

AN: Okay, so I can't thank the reviewers enough, as well as the favourites and followers. There are so many people supporting my craft now that I'm starting to become more serious about trying to publish my own work. So I've started writing -not on my giant universe I've been working on for a decade- but on a tinier story that will likely take me a year to draft. But yeah, just wanted to thank the reviewers who are constantly helping me improve and making me smile. And as a part of that thank you, here is another chapter, albeit a short one :D

P.s. Why did the last two chapters have more dyslexic mistakes than normal? Because a 9,000 word chapter is going to have more mistakes than 2,000 word chapter. Weird, ain't it?

Chapter 20 – Bad Intentions

The foreboding Harry felt standing before the Tonks tightened his chest, and it was an effort to not crush Teddy to him as instead, he lowered his son to the ground. They walked into that home hand and hand.

Ted unlocked the door and Harry didn't hear what the other wizard said as they entered the threshold.

The sight of Andromeda stole his breath away, he watched her brown eyes light up on seeing Ted and a certain level devious playfulness warmed her gaze as she turned to Harry. But her animated greeting meant nothing to him as he relived finding her those years ago.

Those brown eyes gazing blankly into the unseen, her limp and sprawled on the floor, her dark hair spread around her in an almost artful manner.

Her beauty had made a mockery of life.

He had tried to shake her awake, despite knowing that she beyond reach.

The world had fallen in around him.

The war had ended, he wasn't supposed to lose anyone else.

Hadn't he lost enough already?

Everyone had wanted a piece of him, cutting slices of him off for political support or personal consolations. Everyone seemed to be clamouring for his thoughts, his leadership, even as they ignored the one thing he actively spoke out against as the public's grief and fear turned to hatred.

 _Don't discriminate against the nonhumans, don't blame them for your problems._

And every witch and wizard ignored him. Nonhuman population taking the brunt of the fallout of the war, and as the situation degraded, the wizarding world spiralling into disorder after the second defeat of Voldemort, Harry had turned his back on them.

He had given the wizarding world everything, leaving nothing for himself. So Harry had chosen his godson. Chosen Teddy and Andromeda, above all others. He had chosen to start a family and build a life, a safe haven for another orphan of a pointless war.

Harry had been seventeen going on eighteen, he had no childhood worth imitating. To be a father, he knew only what not to do, but he had thought that with Andromeda's help, with her guidance, Teddy would be okay.

Her death had been Harry's breaking point. The one death too many, shattering any delusion he had that safety and home were possible for him.

Staring at Andromeda's dead body, Harry understood, finally, that hope was a bastard, that family was a lie, and magic…

Magic was a curse.

He should just give up, give up pretending-

Teddy had begun crying then interrupting Harry's despair.

How was he supposed to take care of a baby on his own? How could he raise a child on his own?

He supposed he didn't have to be on his alone… He had broken up with Ginny, but the Weasleys would still help him and there were others…

The Weasleys and everyone else who said he should leave Mrs. Tonks to her own devices, and who said over and over again that he was too young to be a father.

Harry's heart hardened against them all.

Screw the wizarding world, screw the community.

Maybe he would fail.

Probably he would fail, but he would try damnit.

No matter what happened, Teddy would grow up knowing he was loved.

He wouldn't abandon him, the world, wizarding or otherwise, could burn for all he cared.

Harry would do whatever it took, would always protect his son, and no matter what shit life threw at them, Teddy would always come first.

And it was Teddy, Teddy in the present, who jerked Harry away from his waking nightmare as he pulled from Harry's hand and ran, arms held wide as little Nymphadora did the same.

They met in the centre of the room, same age, same size, a rainbow of colours shifting between them like a confused chameleon trying to match artificial polka dots, and they nearly hugged the life from one another.

It was heartbreakingly adorable.

Harry felt his heart swell, and his protective instincts expanding to include the little girl who leaned back only enough to meet Teddy's gaze as she began to talk in such a fast stream of words that it was hard to follow.

Teddy's smile, the sheer openness and lack of wariness that Teddy had, at least in some degree, for all others, made Harry think that though Nymphadora may have been a fine mother had she been given the chance, perhaps, she was more suited to being a sister.

A best friend.

"Those two are going to be the death of us," Andromeda said.

Harry flinched, but masked it with a smile, "They are certainly going to be trouble."

A look of horror crossed her expression, but whatever she was going to say was lost as Narcissa emerged from the kitchen.

Only dimly did Harry register Bellatrix and Kingsley behind her.

He probably shouldn't have found Narcissa's cold arrogance attractive. But her self-awareness, her own knowledge of how stunning she was, it made him happy.

It made him want to tease her, made him want to adore her, showing her just how much he agreed that she had every damnable right to be that arrogant.

As her sure steps crossed the space between them, he saw in her blue-grey eyes that she saw him, not just his surface, but the overprotective, hot mess underneath. And she approached him with absolutely no fear, and with every expectation that she could match him, fault for fault, strength for strength.

Kissing her wasn't really a choice, it was as instinctive as breathing.

Though it wasn't a long kiss, there were children in the room after all, it wasn't exactly chaste either. Harry hugged her as their lips parted, he held on a moment longer before releasing her to greet Kingsley and Bella.

They were both smiling at him.

Bella's smile was wicked, as if she knew all their darkest secrets, all their whispered words, while Kingsley's was more a shared smile along the lines of _-we're so fucked because we are in a relationship with the Sisters Black._

A glance at Ted said the same.

The three of them were in deep, and they were okay with that.

It was hard to tell who was crazier, the Blacks or the three them for falling in love with the Black Sisters.

"Harry," Narcissa said, her hand pleasantly, possessively laid on his arm, "this is Andromeda, my second elder sister. Dromeda this is Henry Peverell."

"It is pleasure to finally meet you," she said, her eyes fire to Narcissa's ice.

"The pleasure is mine," Harry said, meaning it, despite the memories, it was a gift to see her alive again, alive with her heart and family intact.

Kingsley stepped forward hand outstretched, "And I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mr. Peverell. I've heard a lot about you."

Harry reached out his hand, but Bella stepped between them, a whirlwind of energy, grabbing his newly scared hand, she asked, "What is this?"

"It was a danger noodle," Teddy told her from where Nymphadora was still chastizing her father for not believing in 'the very, _very,_ real metemorphmago-boy that was just like her, but a boy, not a girl, a boy, metemorphmag-o-boy.'

Bella glared at him, then reached for her Narcissa's hand, holding both their hands together side by side showing off the patterned effect. Of his scars, this one looked the most like a purposeful tattoo.

"Did you get this before fucking him or after?"

Harry wasn't aware he could still blush, but apparently, Bellatrix Black had his ticket. Harry, Kingsley, and Ted all looked at the two little ones who apparently hadn't heard anything wrong.

Narcissa yanked her hand away and pulled his from her sister's grip.

Andromeda stepped closer, "These marks were created by something magical?"

"A serpentine curse that was meant to kill him," Narcissa said, taking a step in front of him.

"The Dark Arts," Andromeda said drily, "very traditional, at least for our family. That it took the form a snake would make our uncle and grandfather happy."

Harry frowned, "Traditional? Traditional what?" From the look on Andromeda's, Bella's, and Kingsley's faces he was pretty sure he had missed something, something vital.

"Handfasting," Bella scoffed, "A traditional handfasting. You just can't do anything wrong, can you, Cissa? You consummated your relationship _after_ being handfasted, didn't you?"

Harry's mind went blank.

 _Handfasted, did that mean…?_

"I had the worst of intentions," Narcissa defended herself.

"At least you didn't have Father's approval," Andromeda threw in.

Narcissa leaned back into Harry, her silence all the answer her sisters needed.

"Father does approve of him," Andromeda stated, her voice drier than the Sahara. "He encouraged you to pursue the Peverell line."

"Little Cissy never could miss behave," Bella said, she sounded downright disgusted.

"I did have bad intentions," Narcissa pressed.

"I'm sorry," Harry interrupted, "are you saying that Tom Riddle _married_ me to my lover?"

Bella giggled, " _Lover,_ such a sexy way to address your wife."

"Tom Riddle was the one behind the attempt on your life?" Kingsley asked, the only person other than Ted who was maybe grasping the real issues here.

Harry nodded.

"Then yes," Bella sang, "Voldemort married you off to a Black."

Harry had been conflicted about a number of things in his life, but at that moment, he couldn't recall anything that could have compared.

"Are you angry?" Narcissa asked, turning to face him. He hardly noticed how expressive she was being with him, until her expression closed into harsh and unreadable beauty.

"At Tom?" he asked, "Almost always. At being married…" _again_. He ran a hand over his hair, "I would have liked to get to know you better. Maybe been given a chance to actually propose."

He hadn't proposed to Naomi either.

It was just his luck that his first marriage was completing paperwork in a parker lot while his bride went through contractions and his second marriage would be completed, without paperwork, without even his awareness of the legal ramifications, he would be married by his worst enemy to his childhood rival's mother by way of a murderous snake.

Yep, definitely traditional.

"Harry?" Narcissa asked.

He refocused on her, "Handfasting is legally binding in the magical world, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm in no rush to get a divorce."

Her eyes were glacial, "But you do want a divorce?"

He cupped her jaw, running his thumb along her cheek, "Do you want a divorce, Mrs. Peverell?"

He felt the shudder run up her spine, but her gaze never wavered, "No."

"Good," he said and kissed her.

Kissed her in front of their family as he would have if they were standing on an altar.

And she kissed him back with surety, melting into him.

Harry's life had been too hard for too long, he knew better than to throw away love where it was given.

Even if it had been Tom fucking Marvolo Riddle who had been the go between.

At the very least, Harry knew that Tom had intended his death and that by finding happiness, that by continuing to live long and prosper, simply made their victory all the sweeter.

* * *

AN: I should post again soon with much more Teddy and Nym cuteness, but in the meantime, thoughts, ideas, remarks, or chocolate covered hearts carried in by screech, snow, barn or owlish owls?


	21. We Are Family

Translation Alert: Eohwel has been translating my Easier than Falling Asleep fic into French, so if I have any French readers who want to show all that hard work some love: _Plus Facile que de S'Endormir,_ Eohwel.

AN: Life got busy, but here is a longer chapter than the last from me to you :)

Chapter 21 - We Are Family (I got all my sisters with me)

Sirius slumped down in a seat beside his little brother, across from Snape who didn't even look up to scowl.

Regulus glanced over at him, "You okay?"

"James and Lily are awake, they're okay."

"I asked about you."

Sirius sighed.

"Lily wrote that it was weird, but she didn't say exactly what was weird. Did Potter?" Snape asked, finally looking up from his defiled potion's book.

"No," Sirius said. "He just wrote that he was okay. That he and Lily had some type of dream attack together. But he didn't say what the dream was about. And he hasn't responded to my return owl yet."

Snape scowled at him, "If Lupin went home, why didn't you?"

Sirius exchanged a look with Regulus, who shook his head, telling his older housemate, "Mind your own business, Severus. It doesn't go unnoticed that you don't return home for the holidays either."

Snape looked down at his hands, Sirius thought that he would shut up, but oddly, and most un-Slytherin of him, he said, "My mum married a muggle. My father… he's awful. I guess a part of me always assumed that pure-bloods were better."

"Nah," Sirius said with far more cheer than he felt, "People are terrible, magic and muggle alike."

Snape studied his face, "You pretend to be as spoiled as Potter, but really, your just as scared and lost as the rest of us. With Potter, you can pretend to be cool, but deep down, you're just another Slytherin."

Sirius could have been angry and exploded at Snivellus, instead he plopped his elbow on the table, his chin in his palm and said, "I'm cool because I'm one of the top students of the century in transfiguration, one of the top students in the school, and I hardly have to try. I'm cool because I'm a beater on the Quidditch team that demolishes every other team. And that isn't to mention my good looks, my charming personality, and regrettably, my family name. I don't need James to be cool. While you…"

Sirius let his gaze go up and down the other student, "Are a potions nerd, hiding in the corner to study the Dark Arts, which half the purebloods families are homeschooled in, your clothes are second-hand, your hygiene is questionable, your personality is- on a good day- sour. And your only true friend is a girl from the house your house fundamentally hates with the added bonus of her to be a muggleborn. And as far as true friends go, having a major crush on them when she obviously doesn't return those feelings doesn't typically en-"

"Shut up," Snape growled.

"And nothing against Lily, but she's a bit odd herself. You're her only true friend, she doesn't exactly click with anyone in our house. Which means she is partly your friend because she enjoys, for some inexplicable reason, likes your company, and partly, because you are the best she's got."

Snape's face was red, "I said, shut it."

"And you, brother," Regulus said with a bit bite in his voice, "Are so afraid to admit you're a Black in any way that you attack any Slytherin, with or without reason, just so no one would willingly acknowledge that you _are_ one of us. Because while you say you're one of the best in Transfiguration, you're also one of the best in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and we both know, that's because you're one of the best in the Dark Arts. Only Bella and Andromeda could compete with you."

Sirius glowered at his little brother as Snape said, "Potter doesn't know that, does he? He wouldn't be friends with you if he knew you practised the Dark Arts."

Sirius said in a voice so low that no one, and hardly even, Snape and Regulus could hear, "My parents didn't give me a choice," and he turned to look his brother in the eye, "or do you want to be Mama's whipping boy instead?"

Regulus looked down at his desk, "I want to make them proud."

"Why?" Sirius asked, truly not understanding, "You know what they are, why on Earth would you care if they are proud of you or not?"

"Because they are our parents."

"No, they are people who clinically decided to have heirs, they aren't-"

"Because of Bella, Andromeda, and Cissa!" Regulus exclaimed, "They are our family too. We are the Blacks, we-"

"Andromeda was cast out for marrying Ted, you know that."

"She's in the wedding."

"Excuse me?"

"Andromeda is Bella's maid of honour."

" _Excuse me?"_

"Sirius, you know Bella is marrying the Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, right?"

"Yes- but…"

"No but's, Uncle Cygnus got Andromeda, and her daughter, Nymphadora, back into the family circle. Grandfather isn't pleased with her, but she's been forgiven."

"And Ted's still breathing?"

"Ted's still breathing."

"How?"

Snape piped in then, "I heard a rumour they did something to Malfoy."

Regulus smiled, "Maybe."

"What did they do?"

He shrugged, "Malfoys line is considered over, and Lucius has been proclaimed dead."

Snape sat up, "Wait, how long has it been?"

"Our Grandfather, Pollux Black filed a complaint of a violation of a marriage contract. Narcissa owns the Malfoy Vaults now, as Lucius's dad is in prison for life."

"But when?" Snape pressed, "And is he dead?"

Regulus shrugged again, "Sometime this week, I think."

"So let me get this straight," Sirius said, "Bella is going through with a marriage with an Auror, Andromeda is back in the family, Narcissa, the youngest female in our line, is now independently wealthy?"

"Nymphadora is technically the youngest now," Regulus said.

"Nymphadora, the half-blood," Sirius stated.

Nod.

He was quiet for a long moment before Sirius leaned back and his seat, saying, "I didn't think our family was capable of change."

* * *

Narcissa wasn't sure how happiness had fallen into her lap so swiftly. She was back with both her sisters and she was _married_ to a man who she probably should have had more time with before she decided that she loved him.

But she did love him.

Watching Harry, sitting on the floor playing a game with both her niece Nymphadora and his son Teddy in his lap, her heart was fit to bursting.

Andromeda wrapped an arm around her, whispering so only she could hear, "You did good, little sister."

"Sometimes it is hard to believe he's real."

"No!" Nym shouted, "you went last time."

Teddy's hair flashed yellow, "Did not!"

"I went last, it is Nym's turn," Harry said easily, there was no unease in him. Narcissa had the distinct feeling that he would speak in that same easing voice if the two little ones were trying to set the house on fire.

This was definitely a good thing, Teddy was a pretty well behaved child, but seeing as Nym was half Black, and any future kids Harry and she had would also be decedents of the Black line.

Yes, peacefulness in the midst of chaos was certainly a desirable quality.

"I felt that way about Ted," Andromeda said, they were standing together in the kitchen having just finished clearing the table. The others were in the living room, Kingsley and Ted watching on as Harry, Bella, Teddy, and Nym played a board game. Bella had despised the fact that it was a muggle game and had wasted little time in making the game less so.

And she was pretty sure it was Harry who was countering Bella's charm work to be less potentially harmful. Judging by the ready look in Kingsley's body, not all the charms she was using were safe.

Harry though, Harry just grinned at Bella as one of his pieces ate one of hers.

Nym and Teddy broke out into uncontrollable laughter.

"I know Bella and you both thought I was betraying you, abandoning you, but I wanted a family of my own. Cissa, I wanted this."

 _This_.

And _this_ , this life, this family was beautiful, it was something Narcissa hadn't known she could have wished for.

She hadn't wanted to be the good girl, to have children and keep her family, keep her family's traditions in place.

But she hadn't truly wished for happiness, she had wished for the appearance of it.

And _this_ , was more than appearances.

That Andromeda could have dreamt of this life, made her jealous, that Andromeda had fought for this dream to become reality, made her proud.

Love, life, and family were worth fighting for.

Happiness was worth fighting for.

Andromeda bumped her with her hip, and together they joined them.

Andromeda sat beside her husband and Narcissa sat beside hers, taking Nym into her arms so she could sit pressed to Harry's side.

His arm coming around her felt safe and right, as did his laugh when Teddy's piece turned into an elephant and began rampaging across the board, Teddy brought his arm up and began to mime having an elephants trunk to egg on the piece.

At which point Bella managed to send the rest of the pieces loose, so there was a mini stampede of animals clattering back and forth across the living room coffee table. Nymphadora began laughing so hard tears spilled out of her eyes as she tried to breathe through helpless cackles.

Bella rubbed her hands together as Harry did something that made the loose strands of Narcissa's hair wave in the corner of her vision, as a small forest and grasslands grew out of the table, completely hiding the boardgame and whatever the original game had been was thrown to the wind as the two children began bossing around their aunt, uncle and father around to get the animal pieces to wage animal war on one another.

It should have been horrifying but with both, Nymphadora and Teddy exposed to muggle 'science TV' they were very explicit about which animals were capable of what.

Harry was slipping in more educational facts than Narcissa was even aware existed about mundane animals, as Bella was simply delighting in the mayhem.

And if that didn't sum up Narcissa's life, she didn't know what did.

* * *

Lily and James weren't allowed to return to Hogwarts for another week.

And when they did the following Monday evening they were waiting for their Dear Professor Peverell after his last class.

Seeing them standing in his door after the last of the previous class ran, yes, _ran_ out of the room.

A part of Lily really wanted to ask about the spiders disappearing into the stones, another part of her just wanted reasurement that they wouldn't have to go through the same in their class.

But seeing as it was Professor Peverell, just asking the question would likely bring it into being.

The question she did ask as the Professor waved his hand at the shield around Teddy was; "Are you our son?"

The professor with her eyes and James's hair and features smiled at her softly, "Possibly."

She didn't have to look to know that James was gaping at him too.

Though James got a hold of himself first, "Just like that, you're just going to tell us?"

Rell sighed, their son, sat back on his desk, "With the insanity of my own child to go on… no matter how inane the truth was, I would have wished to hear it rather than have been so 'protected' by the adults around me. Protected in such a way that had I simply been let in on more of the secrets around me, I wouldn't have made so many mistakes, perhaps, wouldn't have lost as many people as I did."

"How is this possible?" Lily asked, "How can we be your parents? You're older than us."

"Time travel."

"No," James said, "We thought of that, but Lily's sister's fiancé said he had grown up with you."

"Unless," Lily mused, "your little kid self time travelled?"

"Is your name really Henry Peverell?" James asked.

"My birth name," he said, "was Harry James Potter. The name I was given when I came to this world was Henry Black Peverell. From what I can discern, both are true names. Though, I still prefer Harry. Rell is simply what the kids at the daycare called me."

"But _we_ exist in this world," Lily argued, "how can we have memories of an adulthood we have never lived?"

Harry sighed, running his hand over his long hair, "I do not know. In my world, timeline, whatever you would like to call it, the goblins brought me here. I know it involved pixie dust, but I don't know how or for what purpose. I don't know how it is that I have two separate memories of two lives that both mirror each other and yet were extremely different, and more so than just the decade the took place. I am the same age now as when I time travelled, but Henry Peverell and Teddy Peverell existed before the time travel."

"Is Teddy our grandson?" Lily asked, looking at the little boy who was building a tower out of blocks, seemingly ignoring them.

"I don't know. In my original world, Teddy was my godson, here he is genetically my son. What exactly do you two remember?"

"Torture," James said, "Some guy with red eyes was using the Unforgivables on us and you- our son who wasn't two years old was hiding in a kitchen cupboard."

"Is that all?"

James's face darkened, "What do you mean all?"

"I mean has there been any other memories, because I can't find anything on the Peverell's aside from myself and the fact that you- they were murdered. I can find endless evidence of Henry Peverell and Teddy Peverell in this timeline but little to nothing on my parents. In my world, Lily and James Potter died quickly, it was the killing curse, not the torture one. I was in my crib, and Voldemort, Tom Riddle, the man with the red eyes tried the killing curse on me, Tom destroyed himself."

"Wait," James said, "you survived the killing curse?"

Harry pointed at the scar on his forehead.

"Sev told me that a lightning bolt is the wand motion of that curse."

James looked at her, rolling his eyes, "Of course, Snape would tell you that. Why do you hang out with that loser?"

She put her hands on her hips, "Focus Potter, we have bigger problems at the moment."

"To answer your question, Lily, I don't know how this is possible, any of it. But I would urge you both to come to me if you have any more visions."

"How do you not know what's happening?" James asked.

"I took Teddy to St. Mungo's last week."

"Is he okay?" Lily asked immediately.

He smiled at her, "Yes, he will be fine, but the healer did a blood test on him. And apparently, Teddy has four parents."

"That isn't possible," James breathed.

Harry opened his palms, "The only answer I have is that our magic has no bounds, whatever happened, whatever set this into motion, it is bigger than all of us."

"How are the goblins involved?" Lily asked.

"I'm not sure it is just the goblins," Harry said, "but we are all going to be late for dinner."

"But-"

"Ms. Evans, I understand better than most what living through one of those visions, _memories_ , is like. I'm looking into it, and if I can tell you anything definitely, then I will tell you. But we could theorize all night and be no closer to any answers."

"But, you're our son, we- we-"

"We are family," Harry stated, "and if you wish me to speak to your parents about what has happened, or what we think has happened. I will, if you wish to keep this a secret, then I will keep your confidences."

"Why are you so blasé about this?" James asked, "This could affect you terribly if this got out."

"With all the chaos I've survived, I assure you, Mr. Potter, I'm well versed in the ordering of disorder."

"Is it weird for you that we are younger than you? Is it weird to be teaching us?" he asked.

"I didn't know you in either of my lives, so it was not terribly hard to get used to."

"But you still see us as family," Lily said.

He nodded, "Of course. In this life and the other, you both risked life and sanity for me. Family is family. I grew up with none, I not going to quibble about how it takes form now."

"I want you to tell my parents," Lily said, "Maybe not right away. But maybe when… if more happens or, or…"

"I want you to talk to mine, too," James added, "Just not-"

"Right away," Harry finished for them. "But for now, let's go eat." With a motion of his hand, a shimmering shield fell around Teddy and Teddy stood, eyes still glued on his tower as he went to his father.

"Are you really married to Narcissa Black?" James asked, having seen it in the papers but not really believing that his best friends' cousin was now his daughter-in-law.

There was just too much weird happening to take in.

"Yes, Narcissa is now my wife," he said it with a soft smile, a smile that grew as he said, "The future, Mr. Potter, holds many surprises."

And if that wasn't the understatement of the century, James couldn't have thought of a better one.

* * *

Schedule: And with that, I might be MIA for a while, I need to focus on my original work for a bit as well as several study projects. The Secrets of Death will be updated when the Yule time spirits catch me. This one will be updated sooner at some point. As for the rest…all I can tell you is that they are not dead.

AN: Thoughts, orcas, ideas, comments, orcas, suggestions, killer whales, or orcas? Pretty please?


	22. Wedding Bells

AN: Short chapter, writer's block is kicking my ass. I will also be posting a new slightly crack story, _**Twice Dead and Totally Forgotten** , _tonight or tomorrow to break free of this mental block. All reviews are godsends.

* * *

KEYnote: this is a short chapter with time jumps ;)

Beta: Ahrnburg, who thinks he can turn my kitten against me, the fool, mwahahahahaha!

Chapter 22 - Wedding Bells

"What do you mean, I married them!?"

The Death Eater flinched away from his lord.

"They were handfasted by the curse you placed on Ms. Black."

The Dark Lord let out a wordless yell.

Breathing heavily, he demanded, "Where is Malfoy?"

"We can't find him, M'Lord."

"What do you mean, you can't find him?" his voice had gone dangerously low.

"The Sisters got to him, M'Lord."

Lord Voldemort was quiet for a long time.

And then the red eyed man smiled slowly, "Well, I suppose that is as good an invitation as any."

* * *

Narcissa had had nightmares in the past.

But this, this was beyond her, beyond her own fears, her own imagination, this was…

A streak of light cartwheeled by her in the dark.

The space around her was blackness illuminated by some unknown light source.

A low voice whispered in her ear, "Do you believe in the Morrigan?"

Narcissa spun, her feet weightless as she stepped on nothing. "Who's there?" she called into the dark.

Two more streaks of concentrated white-blue light winked into being before winking out.

A flicker.

And all that was left behind was the rippling dark blue.

At her other ear, someone else whispered in a reedy voice, "Merlin believed."

The first voice let out a peal of laughter, "But he was sane enough not to pursue it."

"Pursue what?" Narcissa asked the bodiless voices.

"The truth."

The second voice echoed, "The truth."

" _The truth,"_ a different voice cried.

"The truth, the truth, the truth, the truth!" voice after voice echoed and echoed into the vastness.

"The truth!" one screamed, again echoed by voices of a thousand flavours.

A thousand different sorrows.

Lights streaked the darkness, leaving behind sparkles like snowflakes caught in moonlight, and the voices turned to a roaring sound.

Waterfall spilling into the ocean.

A sound that was indistinguishable from a crashing beat, but it had meaning, it was the true name of a bigger whole, it was;

 _The Truth._

Narcissa came awake gasping.

Sitting up, she leaned against the wall, shivering from the night air against her damp skin.

Oddly, Harry had stayed asleep despite her abrupt motion.

He was a featherlight sleeper.

But sometimes, especially after sex, he slept like the blissfully dead. Tonight was one of those nights, and in his sleep, he curled into the spot she vacated, around her legs, framing her against the wall.

His apartment at Hogwarts was only slightly larger than the average twin bed. Neither of them had offered to enlarge it seeing as it gave them both an excuse to be closer.

And yes, they were married, and she or he could have just stated they wanted to cuddle.

But they were still learning about each other, and she found the care that Harry took with her, making sure she was comfortable in her soundings and with him utterly enduring. She had started babysitting Teddy when she wasn't working with Poppy, and Harry had made it clear that it was not his expectation that she do that.

But she also knew that if they were going to be a family and add to it that spending time was not only essential, but an honour. One she took great pride in.

If Harry was a charmer, then Teddy might very well rule the world one day because he had Narcissa's heart wrapped tight around his little finger.

He would have changed anything for her had she asked.

Well, anything that didn't violate the core of who he was or put Teddy in any sort of discomfort.

She ran a hand over his wild curls.

Merlin help her, she was completely head of heels for this man.

 _Merlin believed._

A shiver went down her spine.

She looked over the darkened room, illuminated by a small nightlight by the side of the bed, placed for Teddy's benefit incase he had a nightmare.

The dark caused by the night was different from her dream, it was almost like she had been underwater or in a cave in her dream.

She half wanted to wake Harry. But she was embarrassed. What was she going to tell him, she had a nightmare of dark blue where voices said the words 'the truth' on repeat.

But she was shaken and she was afraid.

The compulsion to check on Teddy pushed her to carefully climb over Harry.

He stirred, catching her hand as she turned to tuck the covers around him.

He mumbled something unintelligible without opening his eyes.

She kissed his temple, "Just getting some water, go back to sleep, love."

He murmured something before burying his face into her pillow, his breathing evening out as he fell back to sleep.

She smiled to herself as she crept out.

Teddy's door was ajar just like it always was, she went to the small lump in the bed.

The nightlight in this room was dimmer because Teddy's night vision was truly spectacular, but Narcissa could see by the moonlight provided by the window. A window Harry had warded within an inch of its existence.

Teddy was snoring lightly, his mouth parted and he drooled onto his pillow.

He was the cutest kid on the planet.

Narcissa was very certain he and Nym were going to bring down the school when they started at Hogwarts.

She pulled up the covers Teddy had kicked into a tangle, and just like his father, the little boy curled into warmth of the blankets, burying his face against his pillow.

His kitten Regina hopped onto the bed, curling herself at the back of Teddy's neck. Her purring was the loudest thing in the room.

She smiled, kissing his temple, and leaving the room as quietly as she entered.

Teddy had won her heart with his quiet trust and gentle curiosity.

And Narcissa wanted children, she wanted Teddy, she wanted this life that Harry had made.

When she returned to his bedroom he was blinking awake.

"Teddy?" he asked with a note of worry, she had been gone too long.

"He's sound asleep," she reassured him, going to him.

Harry held open the covers, and she climbed into his embrace, sighing in pleasure as he wrapped his arms around her.

She kissed his collarbone as he settled them.

"You alright?" he asked.

She hummed a note of pleasure, "Yes."

He kissed her, and they proceeded to get less sleep than they ought.

* * *

"Why am I this nervous?" Bella asked.

Narcissa laughed as she checked her own hair for the dozenth time.

"You are wearing white," Dromeda stated, "And you look lovely."

She did.

Bella had a penchant for drowning herself in black, letting her hair be wild, and accenting her large brown eyes with bold charcoal.

But today she looked like a queen.

Her sleek black hair braided up, revealing the long line of her neck.

Where she normally seemed so pale, her skin seemed like creme compared to the sharp white of the dress. Her makeup was much more conservative, even with the scarlet lipstick.

She looked… she looked beautiful. Regal. She lacked some of Andromeda's warmth, but Narcissa thought that there was something equally enticing about Bella's edge of wildness.

The dress was an empire waist with a skirt that fluttered and shaped as she walked. The arms were laced and the back exposed. The one difference from how Andromeda had worn the dress and Bella, is that Bella wasn't wearing the veil that Andromeda had used as gossamer train.

Bella wore no veil, though she kept the tiara that had held the veil. She would walk down that ail straight backed and commanding, her bouquet of red roses more of a threat than a direction.

Narcissa fidgeted with her bridesmaid's dress. The red looked stunning on Andromeda, but on her…

Narcissa's wedding colours would be baby blue, not this yule greeting card ad.

* * *

Harry waited at the best man's side. Ted was Kingsley's best man, and Harry was in the wedding party because his _wife_ was one of Bella's bridesmaids.

Also, apparently Kingsley didn't have a lot of close friends outside of Ted and Andromeda. Something Harry found a bit odd since Kingsley was a very likeable guy.

Ted had told him most found Kingsley unnerving.

Harry thought that the most unnerving thing about Kingsley was him marrying Bella Black, but then Harry really couldn't throw stones.

Nymphadora was the first to walk down the aisle, her red dress matching her crimson hair so she looked like she was dressed as a rose as she threw out an endless supply of red petals.

Teddy was at her side in formal robes, and both held a basket and were throwing petals. He was supposed to be the ring bearer, and he was, the rings in a little bag on a necklace around his neck, but he had wanted to throw petals too.

His hair was also crimson.

Harry was distracted by this adorableness so that when he looked behind the two little ones, he was caught utterly blindsided.

He probably wore a gobsmacked expression because Narcissa Peverell in scarlet red was…

Harry had never thought of himself as a jealous man, but he suddenly found himself slightly enraged at everyone who saw Narcissa like this.

She was beyond beautiful, she was every fantasy of beauty brought into being, and when her blue eyes caught his gaze she seemed to sharpen.

Her cheeks flushed, but her gate became smoother, surer; seductive.

Merlin help him.

It was all he could do not to go to her and sweep her off her feet, disapparate away and forget that they had responsibilities.

Andromeda followed, and Harry saw, despite the sisters sometimes dramatic differences in hair and eye colour, the same grace and beauty shared between them.

And seeing Bella in white…

Harry suddenly longed for this, for what Kingsley had.

Harry didn't know if it would work out long term between himself and Narcissa.

There simply weren't any guarantees in life, and despite it happening fast, he wanted Narcissa to be truly his.

As the ceremony went on, Kingsley looking loving and proud, Bella nervous and hesitantly happy, Harry plotted a proposal, imagined the type of rings he might pick out.

He would have been fine with a smaller wedding than the Shacklebolt's, but he had a hunch Narcissa wanted something a bit grander.

And he was okay with that.

He looked over at Narcissa as she watched her sister almost hungrily.

Harry let himself dream of a future with her, a real one with more children and grandchildren in the far future.

Harry had spent so long surviving, just getting by, that he had never thought to ask for anything than what he had.

Naomi had been so afraid that despite them having everything, it had been a house built on sand.

Narcissa met his gaze, and her smile was a delightful mix between arrogant, happy, and hope-filled.

 _Hope._

It was a feeling to hold on to.

* * *

Cygnus was pleased with his daughters.

Narcissa and Bellatrix had made admirable marriages, and Andromeda had not fully turned her back on her family.

Of Cygnus's three son-in-laws, Ted was his least favourite, but despite his regrettable bloodline, he was a healer and their daughter, Nymphadora, was already a powerful young witch.

Useful respectability and power, Cygnus could respect, as could his brother and father.

His wife and sister-in-law, however…

"I can't believe they invited her."

Cygnus watched his nephews chat animatedly with Harry as Cissa spoke conspiratorially with Nymphadora and Teddy.

"Enough," Orion told his wife sharply, "Enough, Walburga, what is done is done. It's a wedding, why not have another drink."

Cygnus sipped from his wine glass, knowing from his brother's tone that what he was really saying, 'why don't you go find a bottle and go drown yourself.'

Their marriages had been arranged and miserable for all involved.

Cygnus was grateful that all his daughters had married for love.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Walburga asked, her voice grating, "'It's wedding'? As if that means anything, our marriage was a sordid affair, you got drunk and slept with my bridesmaid."

Cygnus sighed. His brother hadn't ever touched another woman other than his wife, not that she would ever believe him. No, Orion had spent his wedding night nursing his bride as she regurgitated the two bottles of champagne she had downed.

At least his own marriage had gone better than that, Cygnus and Druella had very little in common except when it came to carnality.

He had done his bride in the kitchen cooler room. They had rejoined the wedding party with a 'vitality.'

"Narcissa did best," Druella said snottily. "Though it better be her future son and not that little bastard who inherits."

Cygnus couldn't say who knew Harry Peverell well, but anyone with eyes could tell that Little Theodore Peverell was the apple of his father's. Harry would sooner turn his wand on himself then turn it on his heir in any way.

But Cygnus didn't waste breath trying to explain to his darling wife.

"If you'll excuse me," he said, finally having an excuse to part from his dear family, "I believe my eldest owes me a dance."

In a few steps and several twirls, Kingsley passed his bride.

Bella fit into his arms, and felt grateful, completely grateful that she had found a man that could both love her for who and what she was as well keep her safe.

"You look beautiful, my child. White suites you."

She flushed, looking more girlish than she had since she was eight years old.

"Take pictures," she said, not meeting his gaze, "this is a one time occurrence."

Cygnus laughed and held her close as he twirled them across the dance floor that had been placed in a clearing.

Andromeda and Narcissa had gone a bit wild on directions, and the woods were alight with twinkling lights as people danced or milled around tables of food and wine.

Cygnus kissed Bella on the cheek and as the next song changed he found Andromeda in his arms.

"You missed this with me," she said with only a thread of bitterness.

He bent to kiss her forehead, "I did, and I do regret it, daughter."

"Good," Dromeda said curtly, but she relaxed.

"Who walked you down the aisle?"

"Kingsley," she answered.

He sighed, "I never intended to have fail you all."

Andromeda opened her mouth to say something but a scream cut her off, followed by several pops of people apparating in.

Two curses exploded tables, and the next thing Cygnus saw was Harry Peverell running through the crowd, his power flowing before him like a strong wind.

Cygnus checked the crowd for his other daughters as he drew his wand.

Bella was back with Kingsley and Narcissa was with young Teddy and Nymphadora. Andromeda broke away from him to go to her daughter and husband.

Cygnus was sure he wasn't the only one to draw his wand but he froze when Peverell met the group of masked intruders.

He had never felt another's powers, not like this. Perhaps he had sensed others before, but this, this was a physical force the had his hair standing at attention.

Cygnus couldn't see Peverell's face, nor for that matter the uninvited guests. But everyone seemed to pause.

And then all hell broke loose.

What must have started as a strategic raid, turned to a panicked assault on the wizard who was literally waking the Earth from its slumber.

The ground rumbled as arms of stone rose and came down on Peverell's opponents as if they were mice caught in a trap.

Peverell raised his hands, moving his wand as if he were conducting an orchestra rather than casting spells well beyond what Cygnus had ever witnessed first hand.

The wind lifted three of the intruders into the air and tossed them screaming into the trees which caught them and shook them like a dog with a bone.

Only one of the figures seemed able to hold his ground, in a very literal sense too.

But he was an island in a raging storm as Peverell shook the ground and commanded the skies.

That figure sent fiendfyre, and Peverell sent back a barrage of lightning that left the bystanders with spotted vision and rendered deaf due to the proximity of the resulting thunder.

So it was in a well of silence that they watched Peverell drop his wand, and with just his raw magical force, constricted the fiendfyre, twirling it into a ribbon, then into a thread of glowing sparks that were choked into nothing.

Peverell threw his arms out wide, his robes accentuating the motion. The Earth flattened, the glen in the forest resettling as if nothing at all had happened.

Peverell turned to face them as his enemies who hadn't smartly disapparated away were attacked by a tree.

They seemed to be struggling with unseen bounds and Cygnus felt his heart skip a beat.

Had he really just used that much raw elemental magic, waking both Earth and storm and not killed anyone?

Orion, sipping from his champagne flute beside him, "Quite the addition to the family."

Cygnus turned to look at the crowd.

The were all gaping at the DADA professor who just proved himself to be more dangerous than Albus Dumbledore had ever been.

Most were gaping, Andromeda and Bella were exchanging looks and Narcissa…

Narcissa was gazing at her new husband as if she had been hit by one his bolts of lightning.

Teddy Peverell ran for his father, and the man bent to pick the boy up into a hug.

Cygnus snagged his brother's glass flute and drank deeply.

The future, it seemed, held many surprises.

* * *

AN: And that's what happens if you attack Harry directly. Thoughts, reactions, ideas, or danger noodles? Pretty please?


	23. The Only Certainty

AN: Writer's block is an evil monster, here is a super short chapter as try to beat my brain into participating, all characters ideas, questions, and thoughts are welcome. I have an ending for this story and a plot but I'm a little unsure of what is wanted on the inbetween.

BETA: Ahrnberg the Great!

Chapter 23 - The Only Certainty

Voldemort landed on in his study floor shaking, his breathing ragged. He slammed his fist into the ground and roared.

The lightning had almost hit him.

This man, this wizard.

Henry Peverell.

He had nearly snuffed Lord Voldemort out with the effort of a fire drake toasting a pidgeon.

Voldemort rolled onto his back staring up at the ceiling trying to regain his pulse.

He had been playing chess with Dumbledore for decades.

Had been playing jeopardy with Naomi Lupin.

But now Voldemort found himself in a game that he knew nothing about.

Who was he? How does a wizard of his age reach that level of power?

Dumbledore had been gifted for decades, but the elemental strength, that was something he had built up to.

Elemental magic was perilously close to the Dark Arts Voldemort himself used. But it took a great deal of stamina, energy, and will to wield.

The Dark Arts took strength, knowledge, and emotion.

Peverell's face when he called the Earth and the winds... had been at peace.

The moment he dropped his wand, it was he had ceased to be human.

And he had been toying with them, a monster stretching from a long slumber. A cat batting at mice.

He could have killed them, he could have killed them all.

Voldemort had found his match. And unlike Noami, Henry Peverell seemed the sort to not only rip the lid off of Pandora's Box, but the type to clear a path for the demons.

Peverell had to go, and Voldemort didn't have the slightest idea how to accomplish that end.

* * *

Narcissa came to her senses and approached Harry and Teddy before the others could start forward.

"How did you do that?"

Harry shrugged, "Not sure, I've never done that before, it felt…" He shrugged again. Then he grinned, "I suppose you might say the Force was with me."

"What?" she asked, deeply confused.

Teddy giggled.

And Harry shook his head, "Never mind." He held up his and his wand came back to him and slipped it back into his wrist sheath.

Narcissa felt the compulsion to touch him, and thought screw it, they were legally married and had been sharing a bed for weeks.

She touched his arm lightly, and he immediately opened his arm pulled her into a hug.

Teddy laughed again, and Narcissa was amazed at how at ease the boy was, had her father done that she would have been terrified.

But Harry was… looking up into his face, she saw a man who's only certainty had been the love he had for others.

The love for his son.

For his departed wife.

For her.

Looking into his eyes, she felt as if she and Teddy were the only ones in the world that mattered to him.

And just like Teddy, she felt no fear, because all that strength, all that power, and potential would only be used to protect them.

To avenge them if need be.

And the part of her that was Black, delighted in the wildness of him, of the road they were on, and the certainty that nothing and no one could survive coming against that which she loved.

Andromeda came up to them, touching her hip, "So, brother, are you hoping to take over our world?"

Harry shifted, so they were no longer in a tight hug, but his arm remained around her waist, Teddy in his free arm. "Nah, I have enough responsibilities."

"Some Slytherin you are," Andromeda teased, Nymphadora running into her skirts, "where's your ambition?"

Harry's arm tightened around Narcissa's arm slightly, and he said, his voice slightly deeper, "I have other ambitions."

She leaned into him and when she caught his emerald gaze, her breath caught.

 _Merlin_ , was he real? Could he really be everything she wanted, want everything she wanted?

"Uncle Harry," Nymphadora began, "How do you make trees dance?"

Harry leaned smiled, "You have to learn to hear them first."

"What?"

"Trees, they sing to each other, and you have to learn to hear them first."

Teddy and Nymphadora went very quiet.

As did Andromeda and Narcissa.

She heard the wind rustle the branches, and for a moment, just moment, she thought she understood what Harry had meant.

But then her father and uncle came up to them.

"Interesting bit of magic, son," Uncle Orion said, which for him was akin of roaring endorsement.

Her father just looked at Harry and her like he had won a leprechaun's stash.

"Hey!" Nymphadora chastized the heir to the Black family, "We were listening."

Orion frowned at the little girl but they were joined but Bella and her new husband then.

"Quite the show," Kingsley drawled.

Bella threw her arms around Harry, catching him by surprise, Harry released Narcissa to hug her back.

"Thank you," she said pulling back, her gaze focused, her smile wild, "My wedding will be the talk of the century."

Teddy wiggled out of Harry's arms, Teddy and Nymphadora raced to the dance floor as the band started up again, as extra Aurors apparated in.

Bella pulled on Harry's hand, "Come, you must dance with me."

Kingsley held his hand out to Narcissa as Bella dragged the most dangerous wizard of living memory into a twirling waltz.

"Aren't you going to help your fellow Aurors?" Narcissa asked her brother-in-law as he framed his arms, and spun them into the rhythm of the song.

His smile was amused, "No, it's my wedding and not even fiendfyre is going to distract me from enjoying the start of my new beautiful life."

She laughed, feeling as if their future was no longer dictated by their ancestors, by the houses they had been sorted into by the choices they would make.

* * *

James and Lily stared at Sirius, and weakly Lily asked, "What?"

Sirius grinned and explained again, Regulus sitting beside him grinning, "It was epic."

Lily and James looked at each other.

"What is wrong with you both?" Sirius asked, "He's amazing. Dumbledore step aside, we have a new Greatest Wizard of the age."

Lily made a squeak sound, James looked pale.

"Seriously," Regulus said, "why are you making those faces? Everyone wants a first-hand account and you two look like you just received terrible noise.

What Lily was thinking was that her son was crazy insanely powerful and what would it mean to have more kids.

James was thinking that kind of power was dangerous, and more dangerous to be associated with.

Severus closed his book, "So, is he taking over the world?"

"Nah," Regulus said, "He's super chill. He just went back to dancing, he wouldn't answer any of the Aurors questions. When he got pressed for where he learned that kind of magic, he just smiled at them."

"No wonder he isn't afraid of Hogwarts cursed DADA position, he could probably tear down the entire castle on a whim," Sirius noted.

"How is that good thing?" James asked.

"He's on our side, Jamie, there's nothing to fear."

"Nothing to fear?" Lily asked, "And what side? The Blacks aren't known for the humanitarian outlook."

Sirius sighed, but it was Regulus answered, "I haven't known Harry long, but he's not the sort to hurt people without reason."

Remus nodded his consent on this, "He's a teacher and he likes kids. I feel like it is anyone who tries to hurt people under his protection, are the people who are going to have worry."

"No one should have the type of power you're describing," James said firmly, unable to come to terms with his own flesh and blood having the power to wake mountains.

* * *

Albus was conflicted.

He did not what to think of Henry Peverell any longer.

He had presented himself as gifted, yet humble family man.

And he was still those things, but he was also the second coming of Merlin.

From the description of the battle, and the testimonies of those who had undergone trials, Voldemort had been among the attackers.

Peverell had been able to take them all, and had he been a hair quicker, a touch more violent…

Voldemort would be dead now.

That Peverell hadn't killed anyone, was both a greater indication of his power and restraint, as well as the man's morality.

No one had died, but Peverell could have snuffed them with a wave of his hand.

Albus couldn't have done what he had, not if they staged it.

He had only tasted elemental magic a few times, and it had been addictive.

It had also nearly killed him a few times.

But Peverell, by all accounts, had ridden the magic, been a conduit.

Which both took control and surrender. Maybe one person in a millennium could have channelled that amount of force, maybe one in three millennia could have learned to direct it without being destroyed by it.

Henry Peverell would either change the world for the better, or destroy it completely.

* * *

Narcissa was extremely happy with her life. It had been more than a month since Bella's wedding, and one would have thought the Black's were royalty with the way everyone in the wizarding world treated anyone related to the Great Henry Peverell.

Harry and she had discussed moving into their own place, in having more children, and he had agreed to both, but he wasn't quite ready.

Because despite how much love he showered her and Teddy in, Harry had a secret obsession that kept him at night, that drew him away whenever she thought they were moving closer.

And this particular night she had had enough of it.

She was going to press him as they were getting ready for bed, only for Teddy to wake with a nightmare.

"Sorry," he said, kissing her cheek, "talk in the morning?"

Teddy was in tears, and usually, she would have gone with Harry to help, but tonight…

If Harry wasn't going to be questioned, then she could do some snooping.

She nodded and kissed him before he departed, shutting their bedroom door behind him.

Leaving her vanity seat, she went to his desk and began shuffling through, books, papers, scrolls.

From one of the books fell a metal elongated star.

Holding it up to the light, she saw the heat damaged metal, but the star…

Dimly she recognized it.

With a goal now, she scanned the contents of the pages before her.

She froze at the image she saw before her. A castle inked in series of scratch marks. Spiral towers crossing a flat horizon. A castle in the sea, in the ocean, an island long forgotten.

And on the heart of the central building was that elongated star shape.

Narcissa dropped the star to the floor, and she fell back into Harry's seat.

Realizing what a wizard of his power might be dabbling in, might be pursuing. She felt sort of ashamed of herself for believing what he wanted most in life was a family.

 _Love_ , she could have laughed. Some dreams were big, some mysteries more enticing.

Harry wasn't researching what had happened to his deceased wife.

He was looking for the Lost City of Atlantis. A city older than Merlin, older than the Founders, so old their legends no longer believed in them.

An ancient city said to hold the heart of all magic.

Narcissa ran her hand through hair curls, tangling them. She would have called it foolish pursuit, but Harry had shown her too many impossible things.

The only thing she knew for certain was that the Dark Arts were safer than this, safer than chasing fairytales of origins of magic itself.

* * *

AN: See? Fuck Horcruxes, I'm bringing this ship through the looking glass. Thoughts, reactions, fan-art? As a visual artist myself, I would truly love to see your interpretations of some of my characters, or rather what I have turned JKR's characters into. Thanks for all the support, y'all me the world to me :D


	24. A Gamble

AN: Okay, so I like dramas, but I don't enjoy heaps of angst. I will continue to make trouble for my characters because it is realistic, but I would like to think it isn't the contrived type of drama that you can see coming. My own life tends to be a series of second boot dropping, so it shows up in my writing. But I like happy endings and people growing from their mistakes.

P.s. James and Lily freaking about Harry's power level seemed pretty legitimate to me, think less, 'oh he's bad guy' and more 'we are going to give life to Merlin in the future, WTF, I'm too young for this shite!'

* * *

Chapter 24 - A Gamble

* * *

Hands, softer than he had been expecting, touched Harry's face, pulled back an eyelid, crept beneath his shirt, down to his chest, and felt his heart. He could feel the woman's fast breathing, her long hair tickled his face. He knew that she could feel the steady pounding of life against his ribs.

"Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?"

The whisper was barely audible; her lips were an inch from his ear, her head bent so low that her long hair shielded his face from the onlookers.

"Yes," he breathed back.

He felt the hand on his chest contract; her nails pierced him. Then it was withdrawn. She had sat up.

"He is dead!" Narcissa Malfoy called to the watchers.

 _-The Deathly Hallows, JKR_

* * *

Harry was pretty sure the nightmares Teddy were having, had everything to do with having two separate lives jumbling around his head. But they were growing less frequent and the ear aides that Teddy was now using had improved his moods tenfold.

Teddy was no longer as quiet or introverted as he had been.

True, he had a playdate with Nymphadora, Nym, almost every weekend. And to say Nym was loud was like calling a cannon blast quiet.

But nights like this, it was hard to feel that he had done everything right for his son.

"Daddy?" Teddy asked peeking his head out of the bathroom. Regina was weaving around his legs, purring like a motor, her way of begging for food. Well, the beginning of her begging, she usually gave them time enough to get out and brush their teeth before she started yowling. "Can I go into the Forbidden Forest today?"

"If Hagrid is going with, of course."

Teddy rolled his eyes, something he had learned from Nym, "Duh."

 _Duh,_ also being something he learned from his cousin.

Harry had to work to suppress a laugh and merely raised a brow at the tone.

Teddy grinned at him mischievously, ducking back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day.

It was Saturday and Hagrid had asked if he could take Teddy to train the young Thestrals.

Teddy would likely spend all day on the back of one of the older well-trained Thestrals as the younger ones tried either to goof off or prance around to impress their elders.

Harry used a charm to right his robes, before heading to the kitchen.

Narcissa wasn't out their room yet, but that was okay, she rarely slept in so Harry didn't go in to disturb her.

He shook Regina's food dish with refreshed cat kibble. Regina bolted out of the bathroom so fast she didn't have enough grab on the floor so she crashed into Harry's legs. He chuckled as she rubbed herself against his leg, shaking off her klutziness as if it had never happened.

Putting down the cat food, Regina went at as if she had never had food before in her life.

Teddy came bounding out of the bathroom, his cloak already on and his scarf haphazardly wrapped around his shoulders.

"Ready, Daddy!"

Harry put a finger to his lips, and knelt to fix his scarf.

"Is Momma Narcissa sleeping?" Teddy whispered.

"I think so," Harry whispered back.

A heavy knock came at the door.

Knowing who it was but checking the peephole anyway, Harry then opened the door for his old friend.

Hagrid grinned at them and opened his mouth to boom a greeting, but Teddy shushed him, "Shhhhh, Momma sleeping." Teddy took Hagrid's hand and led him away.

Hagrid's face was filled with light at this, waved goodbye to Harry.

Shaking his head, Harry shut the door and turned back into his apartment. Regina was on the table now, staring at him accusingly.

Harry narrowed his eyes on the feline, "What?"

She didn't blink.

Shrugging it off, Harry went to his and Narcissa's room and nearly jumped out of his skin when he found her waiting for him at his desk, rather than curled up asleep.

She looked beautiful as ever, hair tousled, her creme nightgown both covering and revealing, but there were shadows under her eyes.

Eyes the colour of dark storm clouds.

"Have you slept at all?" he asked.

"Atlantis," she answered.

He blinked, "What?"

She stood, her anger translating to ice and stiff back. It didn't matter that she was wearing a nightgown or that she was barefoot, she was nothing short of regal in that moment as she repeated slowly, "Atlantis."

"Atlantis?" he asked, "Narcissa, I don't kno-"

She dropped a fist down on his desk, "Don't play me for a fool, _Peverell,_ you're looking for the Lost City of Atlantis."

"I am?" he asked, utterly bewildered, both by her mood and the topic. He had been trying to find a way to explain, a _time_ to explain his past, pasts, without making himself sound like a whack job.

"Fuck you, Harry, I might not be in your power league, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid."

Causely, he stepped forward, "Of course you aren't, I've never thought that. Not ever."

"You're keeping things from me."

"I am."

A look of hurt passed over her face and it stabbed at him.

He reached out to her, touching her wrist lightly, but she jerked away, "I am not a little girl to be kept in the dark, if you are looking for something as old and as potentially dangerous as Atlantis, you should have told me."

"Narcissa, if we hadn't- alright, I can't say I would have told you sooner if we hadn't already been married, but I probably would have asked you to marry me before I told you about my past."

She raised a pale brow, "Told me you are courting death? Are you insane? Do you realize how many have wasted their lives away chasing fairytales? Why would you even bother, don't you have enough power? I've learned not to question the impossible with you, so I shall not question whether or not you discover it, but why Harry? What do you want out of Atlantis?"

"Narcissa, I don't know anything about Atlantis, that's not what I'm referring to. I-"

"Do not lie to me," she all but hissed at him.

She knelt to pick something off the ground and threw it on the table. He followed the track of Naomi's star, and where it landed.

His eyes went wide and he stepped closer to the desk to exam the scroll and the drawing. On a castle was the same star.

"That's Atlantis?" he asked, excitement and relief colouring his voice, _finally a lead._

"Don't you dare play dumb with me."

"I'm not," he said, looking up to meet her gaze, "I haven't made it through all these books and scrolls yet. I picked them up from a seller that may or may not have been stealing tombs from the London Library."

He saw her resolve waver, and he waited.

Waited to see if she would give him a chance to speak or if she had already made her decisions.

"Why are you looking for Atlantis, Harry?"

"I wasn't," he touched the star, "I was looking for the origins of this symbol."

"Why?"

"Because this star was all that survived the fire. This the only thing I have Naomi's and I think she died for it."

"And what do you hope to find. If I tell you it is a symbol of Atlantis, that may be your first wife was looking for the origins of magic, is that enough for you?"

"No," he answered honestly.

"Then what would be enough? Where does this end?"

"Naomi was murdered for what she knew."

"Knowledge means nothing, it isn't what she knew that got her killed it was what she could have done with it. The Dark Arts," she sighed pulling her long hair back, "the darks is wild magic, but it is internal. It demands sacrifice, personal or otherwise. It comes at cost, it demands payment, and it roused by emotions. But you're messing with the Arcane, Harry, there are no rules, no guidelines, there will be no one to help you if something goes wrong. Naomi was killed because a dark lord feared, not what she knew, but what she could have become."

"And said Dark Lord has already tried to kill my son, you, and me. He succeeded in killing my parents and Naomi. Me knowing or not knowing makes no difference."

"Harry!" she exclaimed, "don't you see!? It can mean all the difference, you could set something into motion. You could change the course of history, destroy a future that should have been."

"Fuck the future!" he roared back, finally losing it. "Fuck Tom and Dumbledore both! The future? Do you have any idea how pathetic the future becomes? Granted, I've changed it already, there won't be a war, at least not because of Lord Voldemort. But our society is as broken as ever."

She looked taken aback, but rather than fear at his outburst, she looked intrigued, taking a step toward him. "What do you mean our society is broken?"

"Do you know Teddy has lycanthropy?"

She gaped at him.

"Hereditary, he hasn't shifted, not yet, but he could. It remains a possibility. I kept us as far from the Wizarding World as possible, because the 'future'," he made air quotes around the word, "our beautiful Merlin-damned future blamed the magical beasts and creatures for the discourse in _Wizarding_ society. _My son_ was seen as not a half-blood but a half-breed." He shook his head, "They rounded people up into cages, they starved dragons, they-" he broke off pulling the hair tie from his hair only to redo the ponytail. "Trust me, we aren't missing anything if we blow the course of history to Hell."

"You are talking about the future as if you're from it."

He met her gaze, "I am. My first name was Harry James Potter, son of Lily Evans and James Potter. Teddy, Theodore Lupin Peverell was originally Edward Remus Lupin, son of Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin. I went to school at Hogwarts in 1991 with your son Draco Malfoy. There were two wars between now and 1998, and I was the centre of all of it. By some trick of magic that I do not understand, Teddy and I were sent back in time to that night Bella found us on the streets."

Narcissa sat slowly back into his desk chair, "Everything you've ever told me is a li-"

"No!" he interceded, falling to his knees at her feet, he put a hand on the arm of the chair, careful not to touch her, "No, I haven't lie to you, but there is much I haven't said, haven't explained."

She laughed, the sound empty and expressing more pain than humour, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"The only reason I haven't told you sooner is because the full story sounds insane and I still don't understand all of it, nor how any of it is possible."

"Try," she said drily.

"Where would you like me to start?"

"At the beginning."

"Which beginning?"

She gave him a frosty look, "You're a Potter, not a Peverell."

"I am a Peverell, Narcissa, I have two sets of memories. Genetically, Teddy has four parents."

She gave him a blank look, "Who do you consider yourself to be, Peverell or Potter?"

He shook his head, "I don't know anymore, Cissa, it was like I had a place holder in the past, and when I travelled back… it was like recovering from amnesia."

She frowned, "Our first date, when you had a nightmare of Naomi…"

"I remembered her. I suppose I'm more Potter than Peverell, because I took on Henry Peverell's memories while I always was Harry Potter."

"Then start with the Potters," she said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

His heart eased, she was giving him a chance. Maybe, just maybe, he could manage this without screwing it all up.

"Before I was born," he began.

"Surely you don't remember that far back?" she mocked, tone as icy as ever, but he knew she was teasing him.

He smiled, "No, I don't but it's relevant to the story."

"Your life is such a tale that starting point is your-"

"Do you want me to tell you or not?"

She smirked at him.

And smiling, he said, "There was a prophecy."

Her lips twitched, "Harry, if you are fucking with me I will cut you into a thousand little pieces, slowly, and with great precision."

"Quit sweet-talking me," he hushed her, placing a hand on her knee, and sitting back against the desk, still at her feet. "There was a prophecy. My parents were young, and they trusted the wrong people. It was a dark time, so they tell me, Voldemort and his followers were winning the war. This was theoretically good for purebloods, but in actuality, was only good for the one man. The prophecy seemed to the Dark Lord, as well as Albus Dumbledore, to indicate that I would become someone who could defeat the Dark Lord."

"So the Dark Lord decided to cut the weed at the root."

He nodded, "But it backfired, in a most literal sense." Pointing at his scar, he said, "Voldemort used the Killing Curse on my parents and I, but something my mother did, when he got to me the spell backfired. I went down in history as the only person to survive the Killing Curse, the Boy Who Lived. And that night the Dark Lord was defeated."

"Traumatizing," she said drily, "but you said there was a second war, also caused by Voldemort."

"He wasn't wholly defeated that night, his body was merely destroyed."

"That tends to kill most people."

"He made Horcruxes."

"Fool."

"Indeed, but it was a more than a hassle tracking them all down. There are many things I could tell you, but suffice it to say by my seventh year, we managed to defeat him, again."

"By we, do you mean Albus Dumbledore and his followers?"

"I was one of his followers, and Dumbledore convinced me to walk unharmed to my death before the Dark Lord. I survived the Killing Curse a second time, and in the process, the Horcrux Voldemort had unknowingly placed in my scare was destroyed."

"You were seventeen?" she asked.

"I was, and Teddy was my godson, Remus and Nymphadora died that same day. When the war ended my friends wanted me to return to school or pursue a career. I had a girlfriend at the time, but Teddy… I was an orphan, and my foster parents were horrid. I couldn't abandon him, it didn't matter that I was young, I knew I could help, and it felt good to be needed in some way, and not for my fame.

"Ted Tonks had also died in the war. So I moved in with Andromeda to help raise Teddy."

"Harry," Narcissa said in warning.

"Andromeda committed suicide a few months after that."

Narcissa closed her eyes, and Harry put his hands on her arms, she fell toward him. He stood, scooping her up in his arms and turning to sit in the chair with her in his lap. She curled into him.

"Where was I?"

"Lucius went to jail, you stayed with your son, he was in bad shape after the war."

"I wasn't there for my sisters," it wasn't a question.

"Bella became a Death Eater, and she spent nearly fourteen years in Azkaban, she didn't survive the second war, but arguably, she hadn't survived the first, not intact."

"Blacks stay together."

"Regulus became a Death Eater too, he died going against Voldemort. Bella murdered Sirius and Nymphadora."

"Andromeda?"

"Neither you nor Andromeda actively fought in the war, though you did spare my life at the end. Voldemort could have won, had you not decided that your son's future would be better if I lived. I owe you for that, and even though we were on opposing sides, I respected you more than almost anyone else I know."

"Because I helped you?"

"Plenty of people have helped me over the years, Narcissa, plenty of people have _died_ helping me. But you gambled everything on a chance, knowing that your husband might be damned for it, knowing that you might be damned for it, knowing that I very well might have failed, but you took that gamble, on the off chance that your son might lead a better life."

"Did he?"

"He had lycanthropy."

"So it didn't matter what I did."

"It might have mattered a great deal to your possible grandchildren."

"We failed."

"We all failed."

"You were a child, you shouldn't have been fighting in a damned war."

"That war was fought on Hogwarts's soil."

"What is it like being back here?"

"Hogwarts was my first home."

"That's not an answer."

"It hurts, I would like to move out sooner rather than later. But I enjoy teaching. I like being able… I like having a chance to speak to the people who threw away their lives for nothing. They deserved better."

She trailed a hand up his chest, resting her hand over his pounding heart, "I love you."

He kissed her forehead, "I love you too."

"How did you get to the past?"

"I moved to the muggle world, the fame and the prejudices… it didn't exactly quiet down after the war. But one day Teddy and I went to London. At Gringotts, the goblins brought us down to the Ignotus Peverell's vault. Whether or not I am a Peverell, I am certainly a descendant."

The grey of her eyes warmed to a grey-blue, "What was in the vault?" Her curiosity was ill-disguised.

"Dust."

"Just dust?"

"Mounds and mounds of pixie dust."

"You're joking."  
"Nope."

"What happened?"

"Teddy sneezed."

"You time travelled on a child's sneeze?" she sounded incredulous.

"It gets better, the goblins gave us our new names, a loan, and kicked us out."

"A loan? The goblins do not give out loans, not lightly."

"Don't worry, I paid them back, in full."

She narrowed her gaze, "You wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a certain dragon?"

Harry smiled at her, "His name is Simon, and it was technically the second time I freed him."

"Harry!"

"They wouldn't let me open a vault, they left me with nothing. I had money, Narcissa. And I grew up poor, I will not let my son go hungry and I resent having to go to the Lupins for charity and to Albus Fucking Dumbledore for advance pay."

She shook her head, "How… And I need to speak with the goblins, but how..." she frowned, "Did they know about the pixie dust?"

"Oh they knew, or at least they knew something. Ignotus Peverell left me a note, a note to his descendant."

"What did it say?"

" _If you have been brought to this vault, you and your heir, the non-humans of our world have decided they would like to see some change. Around you sits a donation from my friends, friends so magical their dust has the power to undo the laws of time as well as those of reality. I am afraid there will be no way back, but I hope that will be more a blessing than a burden._

" _Do better than those who came before you._

Signed by: _Ignotus Peverell"_

"Asshole," Narcissa said with feeling.

"Right?"

"Non-humans… that implies more than pixies and goblins."

"The centaurs are in on it too."

"Of course they are, Harry, what did you fall into?"

"I have no idea. One day I'm Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived, Teddy's godfather. But then Teddy started referring to Naomi instead of Nymphadora as 'mommy' and there was this picture of us together, and then I started to _remember_. And now? Now, I couldn't tell you who is more real. Naomi was real to me, Teddy is my son, I am a widower, I never went to Hogwarts, I taught myself magic from an old trunk left behind by deceased parents. The man that was Harry Potter's uncle was Harry Peverell's foster cousin. I became a librarian. Those years are _real._ "

"What happened to your parents, not Lily and James Potter but-"

"Mr. and Mrs. Peverell? And no, I have no idea what their first names were, and this is where it gets weird."

"I'm sorry, _this_ is where it gets weird? My love, you jumped off the deep end a while back."

He kissed the tip of her nose, because he could, because she hadn't run screaming, or cursed him into cinders.

"Mr. and Mrs. Peverell looked exactly like Lily and James in their twenties, _and_ Lily and James, that 'attack' they underwent a few months ago, they remember Voldemort killing them."

Her eyes widened, "They remembered the future?"

"No, they remembered the Peverells who must have existed before either of them were born. And I can't find any record of Mr. or Mrs. Peverells before their recorded deaths."

"Excuse me?"

"Their bodies were found, Cissa, that's it. They were real, the Dursleys, my foster family, remember me, Lyall remembers Naomi as do her teachers. They were all real people. But the Peverells? Voldemort knew of them, because he went out of his way to murder them while I hid in a cupboard. Unlike Harry Potter, Voldemort was after them, not their child. And the only other two people who have any connection to the Peverells, aside from Voldemort and myself, are young Lily Evans and James Potter, and only from that nightmare. A nightmare where the remember hiding their son and being tortured to death."

"And Dumbledore?"

"They are on the Hogwarts' list, but nobody remembers them coming to school, no one has ever met them. There are no letters, no photographs, no nothing. Just their listed deaths, and a trunk that went up in flames with the house that burned down after I returned from Gringotts."

She blinked at him, "That doesn't make any sense. And how did the fire start? That was well after Naomi's death, correct?"

"Correct, and no, none of it does really. The fire is one of a million threads I can't tie. How can I be two people? How can Teddy? Ted Tonks did his chart, he is biologically my son and he is also Remus Lupin's son. It goes on, he is simultaneously related."

"Ignotus said that the dust could alter reality. Harry, if this is non-human magic… the possibilities are almost endless. Wizard magic is held in the highest esteem. But we went to war with the goblins, we kept the other races from having wands."

"I know."

"And you're looking for Atlantis?"

"Apparently?" He sighed, "Narcissa, I don't really know what I'm doing."

"You have the power to kill Voldemort."

He snorted, "Yes, I do. But I don't want him dead."

"You are crazy."

"Most probably. But I want revenge. I want to bring him down to his knees. Whatever Naomi was into he didn't want to happen. So I am going to make happen."

"And the consequences?"

"I have suffered the consequences all my life for both the things I did and for the things I didn't do."

"And if you are just being used by a higher power?" she asked gently.

He brought his hand up to her cheek, "Do you mean by fate, Ignotus Peverell, or the non-humans?"

"Any of them."

He brought his face down to hers, "They led me to you, Narcissa."

She cupped his face in her hands.

The feel of her skin...

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply as she whispered against his lips, "I should hex you for that sap."

"Have I told you how soft your skin is?"

"Am I beautiful when I'm older?"

His eyes flashed open and he smiled down into her lovely face, "You are beautiful, and you always will be."

He kissed her deeply and rejoiced when she kissed him back.

When they parted he asked, "So, do you prefer, Mrs. Peverell or Mrs. Potter?"

"Mrs. Peverell, I am not calling little Jamie my father-in-law, I don't care what the charts say."

He lifted her in his arms as he stood, "I'm not exactly calling him dad either."

"The note said there's no way for you to get back."

"I don't want to go back to that half-life. Especially now that I have you."

"If you hadn't intervened in Bella's life, I would have married Lucius."

"As I said, fuck the future." He laid her down on their bed, "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"No," she said, "but I don't need sleep right now, husband."

She pulled him down on top of her.

He went gladly.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, remarks, ideas, or ball pythons? Pretty please?


	25. Not Your Bitch

KEYNOTE: For the life of me, I can't figure out my own timeline for what part of the year they are in, sooo welcome to summer? I got so focused on plot and the mystery that I was like it doesn't matter what season it is, long sigh. The Natasha fic will be updated for New Years, as that is what the chapter covers ;)

Goodreads: I'm on Goodreads!? So weird, also it is not my goodreads account so not sure how to feel about that. And I would so delete Disorder of the Phoenix if it didn't have such a following.

Beta: Ahrnberg the great!

Chapter 25 - Not Your Bitch

Falling.

Falling, falling, she was falling.

"Can you hear it?" her husband's voice asked.

But she couldn't see him, and she was falling.

" _Stop!"_ she shouted, her hands held out to either side, palms out.

She descended gently, and her feet touched a sheet of ice.

All sound stopped, not that she had heard a sound before, but she heard its absence now.

And the blue-blackness cracked down the centre and revealed the light of dawn. A vast arctic sky opened above her, and the ice beneath her feet was endless, an ocean of ice, of-

"Are you the Morrigan?" a voice from a forgotten dream called to her.

Narcissa spun and came face to face with her reflection, dressed in the same thin shift, but she was shivering as if the cold affected her.

Narcissa couldn't feel it, or maybe she could, she felt numb.

"Are you the Morrigan?"

Narcissa didn't answer.

"Or are you Merlin?"

Narcissa smiled at her false reflection, "I am Narcissa."

Her reflection sneered at her, "Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection, will you?"

Water rushed over the ice and Narcissa slipped, catching herself on her hands in a sort of push-up. She watched her true reflection, she met her own gaze as the ice cracked beneath her hands.

"What do you seek?"

Narcissa couldn't have answered if she had wanted to because the water was pulling her under, and when a wave crested her head, she was swept away under the ice.

And the cold.

She suddenly felt that cold.

She opened her mouth to scream and liquid ice filled her lungs.

The pain was fire beneath her ribs. She screamed, past the sensation and Harry's voice came again, "Listen."

She screamed as the blue-darkness swallowed her, and her lungs-

"Narcissa!"

She sat up screaming.

Harry's hands rubbed up and down her arms, her back. He put a hand to the side of her neck, "Breathe, Narcissa, _breathe._ Breathe for me, beautiful."

She swallowed and looked around wildly.

Teddy grabbed her hand, "Momma Cissa?"

She pulled the boy into her arms, hugging him close, Harry's free hand alternating between soothing her and his son.

"Narcissa," Harry said firmly, "Look at me, love, look at me."

She looked up, feeling short of breath.

She supposed if she had been a different sort of woman she would have been in tears, "It was just a nightmare."

"Was it?" he asked, "You stopped breathing."

And she knew she had scared him then, because he would never have said that in front of Teddy otherwise.

It made her smile.

"What?" he asked.

"I love you."

He leaned right over Teddy and kissed her, when he pulled back he ordered, "You better keep breathing."

Teddy tugged on one of her curls, "I love you too, Momma Cissa."

She hugged that little boy who had stolen her heart and kissed his cheek, "And I love you too, my little man."

"What happened in your nightmare? My nightmares are about green lights and empty rooms," Teddy asked in perfect English, he was starting to take on her accent rather than Harry's, and every now and then he would say something with Hagrid's accent. Narcissa did her best to correct those moments.

Merlin but was he growing fast, it always blindsided her how smart children could be, but Teddy? Teddy was already ahead of Nym in development, and a part of her worried how he would fit in with the rest of his peers if he continued with this trend.

"My dream was about ice, and I fell into very, very cold water," she said honestly, "I thought I couldn't breathe, but it was just a nightmare, and I'm okay."

Teddy smiled up at her, "I don't want to lose another momma."

Narcissa hugged him close a half-second before Harry hugged them both, pulling them into his lap.

Harry grip almost hurt, almost, but his hold was also warm, it was the safest place Narcissa had ever known.

"We aren't losing anyone else, Teddy, I'll keep us safe, I swear it."

She relaxed into his arms, and despite all that she knew of the world, despite the monsters in her nightmares stretching their claws, despite how foolish it may have been, she believed him.

* * *

"Hey, Professor Peverell!" Frank Longbottom shouted to him across the hall as they walked with the crowd to the final feast.

"Yes, Mr. Longbottom?" Harry called back, Narcissa on his arm. Teddy was ahead of them riding in on Hagrid's shoulders.

"I bloody hate you!"  
Harry grinned, "I'm sure you all did splendidly."

Actually, he knew they had.

All of his classes, all of his students, because every wizard or witch grading the DADA OWLS and NEWTS had approached him after the tests.

In the practicals, not a single student had received below an E for Exceeds Expectations. And the written exams at a glance seemed to be well above the usual standard. Not even when Dumbledore had been teaching the subject had the tests gone so well.

"How did you get them over the anxiety of performing in front of the examiners?" one had asked him.

"Lemons," Harry answered coolly.

"Lemons?" the wizard had repeated.

"Lemons," Harry confirmed.

Frank caught up to Harry in the crowd, "Alice and I were accepted into the Auror training program."

Harry smiled at him, "I had no doubts."

"You are a terrible person."

"I know."

"Thank you."

Harry dipped his head, and Frank again disappeared into the crowd.

"Sometimes I worry you have too much fun terrorizing them," Narcissa remarked, not sounding worried at all.

"Toddlers think I'm hilarious."

"Good, because I want to start making babies."

"We have a baby."

"Teddy is not a baby, and if he's anything like you, which he is, he will adore having siblings."

"He has Nym."

"Bella's pregnant."

Harry almost tripped, "Is that a good idea?"

"Probably not, she screwed up her conception potion. Kingsley has started taking male conception so she won't have to worry in the future, but the damage, as they say, is done."

"A child is not damage."

"So you do want more?"

"You know I do, but now is not the right ti-"

"Teddy is four, it is the perfect time."

"This isn't the right time to-"

"We just bought a house, we will have eight to nine months to settle."

"To talk about this. And what's the hurry?"

"I just want your babies."

Harry suppressed a groan and pointedly ignored the group of sixth year girls who passed them giggling.

"Narcissa," he warned.

"Harry," she mocked.

"You can have Bella's baby," he said, only half-joking.

"Harry," she said clearly, "that was a given, but I want one of my own. I want a baby."

"I thought you wanted babies."

"I want-"

Harry stopped them, pulling her back into an alcove as the last of the stragglers passed them.

"Harry, what are-" she began

But when he was decently sure that there were no more students coming immediately, he kissed her.

He kissed her until she was arching up into him.

"Would you like me to give you one now, wife?" he spoke into the shell of her ear before he continued trailing kisses across her jawline.

She made a sound low in her throat that was neither confirmation nor a denial.

He kissed her forehead then straightened, her holding onto him for support, "We should talk about this tonight."

She glared up at him, her eyes the vast blue of a winter sky, "If I didn't need them, I would castrate you here and now."

He smirked at her, and she pulled him down for another kiss.

They were the last to take their seat at the head table, but they weren't late.

* * *

James was waiting outside of Harry's office, when he heard something explode in the room.

James rushed into the room, wand drawn, eyes wide at the large black spot in the centre of the room.

Harry looked at him, "Ah, James, can you believe it?"

James blinked at him, "Er, believe what?"

"The curse!"

"What curse?"

"The DADA professor curse, it was in the desk the whole time. Teddy mentioned the symbols he had seen carved into the underside of the wood. I can't believe it was this stupid old desk this whole time. DADA has been taught in numerous different rooms, but I never realized it was always the same furniture."

"Um, that's good, I guess?"

"As it means I get to possibly keep my job for next year, yes, I would say so. Now, what can I do for you? I must say, I expected more questions from you, after I told you and Lily the truth."

"The truth?" James asked. "The truth being I am kind of, sort of your father and you're my son from the future?"

"Yes, that," Harry said.

"How can you be the next Merlin?"  
The man shrugged, "Not sure, those aren't the sort of questions one asks and can expect an answer to."

"I don't know how to deal with you!" James shouted, "I don't know how to deal with any of this! I killed one of my friends this year and became a father and a grandparent! And I don't-"

Harry sat down and motioned for James to do the same in a seat near him. "It's alright, one thing at a time. You didn't murder Peter, and no one is asking you to be a parent. You and I are family, but you don't owe me anything, James Potter. My father died a long time ago."

"I did murder Peter, and what am I supposed to do if I have a kid one day and he grows up to be like you?"  
Harry laughed, "Like me? You're afraid of what, that you might spawn a legion of Merlins? James, I'm not boasting when I say, I think I'm one of a kind. I think the chances of you siring another child like me would be more than unlikely."

"But possible."

"Anything is possible."

"That isn't comforting."

Harry sighed, "James, maybe you should focus on getting through school, maybe actually wooing the girl you want to marry, before worrying about future children, no?"

"I can't not worry, you a freaking legend! A walking, talking, impossible possibility strutting around in the real world. You're dangerous. You could be a Dark Lord if you wanted to be and there isn't anyone who could stop you."

Harry's smile was gentle, "James, I'm your son, I'm Lily's, I'm not evil."

"But you could be."

Harry shook his head, "I don't know what to tell you, there are no certainties in this life, heck, I'm not sure death has any certainties either. We can only do our best each day."

"Doing our best doesn't undo our mistakes."

"Would it make you feel better if I told you Peter's death was a good thing in my eyes?"

James looked at him, his eyes wide, "I thought you weren't evil?"

"I don't delight in the fact that a student is dead, Mr. Potter. But it was because of Mr. Pettigrew in my time, that I became an orphan. He betrayed you all, he gave us to the Dark Lord, and he gave Sirius to Azkaban. He rejoined the Dark Lord and helped start the second war."

James gaped at him.

"I'm not saying you didn't take a prank too far, that his parents didn't undergo a great tragedy, but had someone killed my Peter Pettigrew before he became a traitor, I would have thanked them."

James put his head in hands, "How am I supposed to deal with all this?"

Harry shrugged, "Life goes on."

"But how do you go on when it feels like everything you thought you ever knew has gone dark?"

Harry sighed, "You might be asking the wrong person. I've had so much happen to me over the years I stopped questioning it."

"Then how did you get through it?"

"By accepting it and doing what I could."

James stared at him, looking absolutely exhausted.

"Don't you have a train to catch?" Harry asked, feeling bad. He didn't know how to help James through his troubles.

"I thought you were a good dad. Don't fathers know how to help with stuff like this?"

"Well, James," Harry said reasonably, "My son is four, and so far the most difficult crisis of selfdom he has asked me for help with is choosing which bedtime story Narcissa would like better."

"Really? That's the hardest thing you've had to deal with as a parent?"

"Of course it isn't, but Teddy is a child and you are a young adult. He is far more resilient to this sort of thing than you are. He isn't old enough to truly understand just how _special_ his family is."

"I need you to tell my parents about you," James stated in a rush. "I can't lie to them, not in person, not about something this big. I can't- I need their help and I don't want to be alone anymore."

"I'll send them an owl now, and meet whenever they have time to speak with me. James, hasn't Lily been there for you, and haven't you told Sirius?"

"I can tell Sirius?" he asked, looking at him strangely.

"You don't need my permission. It may be my life, but you have been affected, and you have every right to share that with whomever you like. Though I advise not taking it to the streets. I have found in situations like these, the more honest you are, the crazier they will think you are."

James looked him in the eye and said, "If I have a son one day I don't want him to have your life."

"Neither do I, Mr. Potter, neither do I," Harry stood, "Now, I think it is time for you to catch that train?"

James stood, "Thanks." He went to walk out the door but hesitated, looking over his shoulder, he said, "I don't hate you, Harry, I just… you just seem like someone who's lived through a lot while having far too much responsibility."

Harry nodded, "I know."

James left, and Harry heard him apologize to whoever was coming in.

A moment later Albus Dumbledore walked through the door, "I heard only Mr. Potter's parting remark, the boy does not lie. You are twenty-one years old, no?"

"I'll be twenty-two this summer," Harry said lightly, turning back to packing his belongings. He didn't tell Albus about the curse he had probably broken.

The desk being the cursed object seemed too simple. Or maybe it was brilliant in its simplicity. Maybe all it took was for a DADA professor to touch the desk and be cursed, or if its mere existence in the school was enough, or perhaps he had just broken another curse, one of many.

And it was his uncertainty that led him not to share his curse-breaking with Albus.

"I've come to offer you your position for next year," Albus said, Harry turned back to meet that twinkling gaze, "I would say for the first time in years, I'm offering the DADA position with a real hope that they might accept, but I fear to jinx it."

Harry huffed a laugh, "Then I tentatively accept, unless something comes up."

"Ah, and there you've given me hope."

Harry closed his satchel, and turned fully to the Headmaster, "That isn't the only reason you're here, I suspect."

"No, I fear it is not. You made quite a showing at the Shacklebolt's wedding."

He shrugged, "Bella was certainly entertained."

"You didn't kill anyone."

"It was a wedding, not a funeral, and I have been to far too many of the latter."

"Tales often grow in the telling."

Harry sighed, "Just ask."

"You moved the Earth?"

"Yes."

"The wind?"

"Yes."

"The trees and plants?"

"Yes and yes."

Albus stood straighter, "You called lightning down on a single man."  
"I missed."

"You could have killed that man."

"Yes, well, Tom Riddle is good a skirting death."

"Were you really trying to kill him?"

Harry shook his head, "I was playing with him, and no, before you ask, I have never called that much power before. It wasn't something I knew I could do, but in the moment…"

"What did you want?" Albus asked gently.

"I wanted to break them. They have made me feel so powerless over the years, taken so much… I wanted to strip them of what they held dear, their control, their belief that killing and torture, that fear, is true power." Harry couldn't help the smile that curled his lips, "Terror is easy, but self control, restraint, the will to act only when needed, that's strength. And it is a lesson Tom is long overdue in understanding."

"You sound as if you have a vendetta against Mr. Riddle," Albus said warily.

Harry pulled the band of his satchel onto his shoulder, "Did you have any more questions, Headmaster, I told my wife I would be home soon."

"You moved into a house on the outskirts Hogsmeade, did you not?"

"I did."

"That would not be such a commute if you decided against apartments in the castle, Mrs. Peverell already handed me her resignation letter."

Harry had to fight not rolling his eyes. If Narcissa wasn't looking for work, that meant she was truly serious about babies.

A spurt of jealousy went through him, at not being the one to stay home with the babies. He liked teaching, but he liked being a father more.

But then he remembered that his father-in-law had sued the goblins for Harry's ancestral vaults. Well, Cygnus Black had merely _threatened_ to sue, but it was enough, and the Peverell vaults, because, yes, there had been more than pixie dust, did have money, and Narcissa had both her dowry and the Malfoy Vault and properties.

Harry didn't need to work if he didn't want to.

"Mr. Peverell?"

"If my wife and I have another child, I will take my leave of my position."

Albus's eyes widened a tad, "And if it is mid-year?"

"I do not need the money."

"Be that as it may, I would venture the students need you a great deal. You are the best Defense professor Hogwarts has ever seen."

"I know Transfiguration is your strong suit, but you used to teach this subject."

"Yes, and not all of my students passed their exams. Your class has helped students in other classes as well. It can be quite dangerous to allow students to flex their powers as you have allowed. But not a single student has been seriously injured in your classes."

"There's always a first time."

"Yes," Albus agreed, "But better it be here where there is help ready, better they have a safe place to make mistakes and be corrected for them, understand the risks and dangers. We've all sat in on your classes over the year and none of the staff would be comfortable orchestrating such chaos. I let my students experiment, but in small groups or individually. I don't think you understand how impressive it is that you were able to impress into nearly the entire student body how dangerous magic can be."

"You do realize most of my students loathe me, correct?"

"They respect you, and if I may, the Slytherin students have truly improved with just a year of your guidance."

"The Slytherins are often among the most powerful and talented, that whole ambition trait. That wasn't me, that was all them."

Albus shook his head, "Slytherin is often the house of the elite, students who grew up with much handed to them without a real understanding of the cost of their privilege."

Harry felt his expression hardened, "I disagree."

"Let me finish, you have given them the opportunity to shine as individuals."

"I've simply treated them as I have treated all the rest."  
"Whatever you have done, Professor Peverell, you are a jewel to this community. You have no idea the lives you've changed."  
"I'll work part-time, but I warn you Dumbledore, I will put my family first."

"Why?" Albus asked bluntly, "You could be anything you wanted. You could be a leader in our community."

"Because family is all I have ever wanted, and I have sacrificed enough."

"And yet you are playing cat and mouse with a dark lord."

Harry smiled, shaking his head, remembering a much different conversation with this man not so many years ago, "If Tom comes at me directly, I will end him. But I will not spend the next decade of my life chasing rats into their nests. Better to draw him out at my leisure."

"And the people who he hurts along the way?"

Harry walked up to the other man, and leaned in so that his face filled the old man's sightline. And Harry articulated slowly, "Tom is afraid of you too, Albus Dumbledore. If you want him dead, go kill him yourself, I am not your dog."

And then Harry walked away, feeling some little part of him that still looked up to the old man release.

Harry didn't hate Albus, but he was no longer Dumbledore's.

"I'm an old man, Harry," Albus called out to him.

Harry turned back and said only, "So is he."

* * *

Narcissa was pretty sure she was in heaven.

Harry had given her complete freedom on how to design the house, except for equipping the kitchen.

Which was fine with her, she could stir a cauldron, but she did not cook, or bake, or have any relationship to the kitchen but designing the colour scheme that would pair well with the dining room the kitchen overlooked.

"Momma Cissa?" Teddy asked, leaning against her back. They were sitting in the bedroom.

Well, they were sitting back to back on a king size mattress in what would one day be the master bedroom. Teddy was drawing Thestrals and Narcissa was sorting through colour swatches over a blueprint of the house.

The house was big enough to feel roomy, but just small enough that she nor Harry would be run ragged keeping it clean, with the help of a few charms.

It wasn't the mansion of her parents' estate, nor the disaster of a family hovel that was her uncle and grandfather's home, but it was a fine house nestled against the mountain with large windows with views of the lake, the castle, the town, and the Forbidden Forest.

It already felt like home.

"Yes, Teddy?"

"Daddy's late."

Harry came into the room then as if summoned, "James asked me to write a letter to the Potters. Narcissa, how do you feel about adopting an owl?"

"Daddy!" Teddy exclaimed throwing himself off the mattress into his father's arms.

"Sorry I'm late, little buddy, just finishing up the year."

"Poppy is in love with you," Narcissa remarked, snapping her fingers making the blueprint magically grow into a little model, and she began twirling her fingers to change the wall colours. She was getting better at wandless magic.

Her knew hew new wand still wasn't the same as her old one.

"Did you defend my honour?" he teased.

She didn't even acknowledge that one, "She said you were the finest DADA professor Hogwarts has ever had and that you should give lectures to the community. She thinks less people would find themselves in the hospital if they listened to you."

"I think Poppy almost gave me a plaque for how many nights I spent in her wing."

"I know she knows nothing about your past, but I think she knows all the same that you're one of hers."

Harry plopped down on the mattress, "Are we going shopping, or are you and I going to transfigure all that?"

"Andromeda and I are going to transfigure it all, along with a few antiques we've collected over the years, or inherited."

"You don't want my help?"

"I'm helping," Teddy announced, "Momma Cissa already promised I could help."

"My mother is visiting in a few weeks."

Harry smiled, "I am not afraid of your mother, love."

"You should be."

"I think I'm more afraid of Andromeda, and she likes me."

"You will be among that rare species of men to like his mother-in-law."

"Oh, I didn't say I liked her, I just said I wasn't afraid of her. Walburga on the other hand," he shook his head.

Narcissa looked up with a smirk, "You're afraid of Aunty?"

"Let's just say I'm afraid I might do something regrettable. I told Sirius and Regulus they are welcome in our home if they need it."

She smiled, "I was going to ask, Aunty won't let them at Andromeda's without supervision, and Bella simply doesn't haven't the patience."

"I can't believe she's pregnant."

The look she gave him said clearly that if Teddy wasn't with them she would have words for him, or maybe not words exactly.

"I've designated one of the larger bedrooms for a nursery," she said instead.

"I want that one!" Teddy said, pointing to the room at the end of the house, it had the best view of the Forbidden Forest.

Narcissa twirled her finger over the room and Teddy's name appeared in script. He giggled, recognising the shape of his own name.

"Does Regina get a room?"

"She has to share with you," Harry told him solemnly, "Sadly, none of us here are Ancient Egyptians who worship cats."

Regina looked up at him, the look she gave him was one that demanded recompense.

"What did Jamie want you to discuss with the Potters?" Narcissa asked.

He sighed falling back on the bed, Teddy patted his head and Regina jumped on his stomach and began kneading. "He wants me to explain the future to them."

"Your grandparents?"

"Have you ever met them?"

"When I went to the Evans to check on Lily, I met them for the first time."

She stretched out beside him, "You met all four of your grandparents on the same day?"

He sighed, "They kept calling me Rell, and just felt… wrong."

"Hence why you've started having almost everyone call you Harry now. Why did you go by Rell anyway?"

"The daycare, a lot of the kids couldn't say Peverell, and it was their policy that we couldn't use our first names. Silliness. But going by Rell was better than Pev, Ev, or Pervel."

She winced, "So Rell."

"Rell, and it was one of the best years of my life."

"You consider the year you were a single father working at a daycare to be one of the best years of your life?"

"Well, that was before Naomi, but yes, I do, nothing tragic happened and I got to spend a lot of time with Teddy. Being Rell was better than being Harry Potter, the child hero, or Henry Peverell, the lonesome librarian, Rell was a daycare provider and Teddy's dad. "

Teddy had gone back to drawing but paused to pat his father on the head again.

Narcissa grinned, "And this year?"

"It's been an adventure," he said smiling, "And I like who am."

"And who are you, Harry?" she asked.

"Teddy's father," he said, leaning closer to her, "your husband."

They kissed and Teddy's patted them both on the head, Harry and Narcissa pulled back laughing and pulled Teddy down to them.

Teddy started trying to tickle them, which descended into pillow warfare.

Regina sprung away from her perch on Harry's stomach with a meow of disapproval. She watched the chaos with her tail twitching agitatedly as her humans smacked each other with sacks of feathers.

* * *

With summer came a wedding invitation to a summer wedding.

"You know you don't have to dress up that much, right?"

Narcissa gave him a withering look. Her hair was braided up into an elegant bun interlaced with jasmine flowers.

Her dress was muggle designed, purchased from a French boutique whose waiting room Harry and Teddy enjoyed greatly.

Teddy was particular to the lone lovebird that kept trying to sing to him. Teddy had lectured an entranced shopkeeper about needing to get a second bird. The shop keeper trying to explain to Teddy that they kept him alone to keep him singing had amused Harry, because there was just no way to say; 'we keep the caged bird flightless and loveless for our own amusement,' to sound acceptable to small animal loving child.

Narcissa ran a hand down the tailored dress that flowed down to her ankles. The dress was varying shades of blue that ended in a skirt of white and grey petals.

"You'll be more beautiful than the bride," Harry told her.

"Says the man wearing a suit," she straightening his silk tie. A tie that mirrored the design of her dress but was green and brought out the colours of his eyes. "And besides, there isn't enough white in this dress to distract from a wedding gown."

His smile turned wicked, "Love, your enough to distract in a potato sack, of which Mrs. Petunia Dursley would be very jealous."

"You really don't like them, do you?"

"She and Vernon used to keep me under their stairs when I was a kid, they worked me to the bone while half-starving me while spoiling their son Dudley to the point of obesity and willful stupidity."

Narcissa frowned, "What about your second life?"

Harry felt his face darken. And she reached up to cup his face, he bowed his head, closing his eyes as he said, "The Dursleys are not good people."

"What did they tell you?"

"That I was worthless, that I would never amount to anything. I hardly finished school before starting full time at the library, and if Naomi hadn't found me, I might still be there now."

She traced one of his loose curls, "Does it ever get to be too much, those two separate lives."

He pulled her into a hug, "If I think about it too hard, it feels like Voldemort's Horcrux is still inside of me, one fighting for dominance of the whole. But if I just let it be… then it's… I was the same person. I thought your experiences change you, made you who you were, but despite Henry Peverell and Harry Potter being different, I am the same person."

She hugged him back, "Well, let's go rub it in your foster family's face just how much you're worth and what you amounted to."

He held her closer, "The most beautiful woman on the planet as my wife and the most adorable boy as my son. Marge is going to want to drown us all."

And about the last, he sounded completely delighted.

* * *

"You didn't have to invite me to this," James told her.

Lily lifted her chin, "I needed a plus one."

"So what am I?" Severus asked grumpily.

"A family friend."

"Joy," Severus said drily.

James looked around at the people slowly filling in the aisles, "Lily, why aren't you one of the bridesmaids?"

"Because my sister's horrid friends pressured her out of it, none of them like me."

"Oh," James said. "And where are your parents?"

"Trying to convince Tuni to change her mind."

"Didn't your parents pay for the wedding?" Severus asked.

"Nope," Lily said popping the 'P', "My dad got in a fight with Mr. Dursley."

"About what?" James asked.

"Why aren't you happier to be here?" Severus asked suspiciously, "You've been weird, I mean weirder than normal for months."

"Har- Professor Peverell is going to be here, isn't he?"

"Yes, and he's who my father started the fight over," Lily jumped in, smoothing it over for James.

"Why?" Severus asked.

"My father insisted Peverell, we call him Harry, by the way, Harry would be invited to the wedding."

"Because _Harry_ 's foster family were the Dursleys?"

"Yep, and Mr. Dursleys went on and on about how terrible Harry was, and Father thinks it goes deeper than Harry being a wizard. He thinks Vernon might be a bad person. My parents will always give us free choice, but I think if my dad thought they wouldn't elope he would have just forbidden her to marry him. But anyway, after the fight, he refused to pay a penny for today despite it being here. Tuni had to use all her savings for her dress."

James and Severus exchanged a look.

The seats were filling up, Rose Evans sat beside her daughter as Mr. Dursley, a small man with big hands, and Mrs. Dursley, a large woman with small feet sat on the opposite aisle. Their daughter, Marge followed behind them with a sour expression and too much makeup.

James nearly gagged as Rose, Lily, and Severus wrinkled their noses.

"What is that smell?" James asked in a strangled voice, eyes watering.

"Their perfume," Rose said under her breath.

In a voice that wasn't hushed at all, Marge said, "Harry RSVPed, he's bringing his runt and his street slag with him."

Mrs. Dursley laughed as if Marge had just said anything outrageously funny, "He won't make it here if he knows what's good for him."

"Oh, he will show up," Mr. Dursley growled, "for a librarian, the boy was always dumber than stones."

"Dumber than stones?" Severus asked quietly, "Is that really the best he could come up with."

"Hard to believe he's talking about our professor, isn't it?" Lily whispered back.

James suddenly had a lot more sympathy for Harry, if he had to grow up with people like this… it was amazing he was as kind as he was.

"I can't believe he's had two wives in four years," Marge remarked as more of their families filed in on either side, "They must be uglier and stupider than he is." Then in a false whisper loud enough for everyone to hear, "Do you think he killed his first one?"

"I'm going to commit murder soon," Rose muttered under her breath.

"Mum!" Lily laughed.

"Honestly," Marge went on boldly, "his second wife must be a lower class bint to marry such a chav."

Severus tapped James's shoulder, and James turned to see the Peverells standing not two meters behind the Dursleys.

Harry might have been wearing a muggle suit, but he looked like a lord, his long hair tied back with a silk ribbon, his glasses making him look intelligent, his broad shoulders and narrow waist a show of a healthy man. The fury in his emerald eyes paired with the arrogant smirk on his lips setting him apart from the chatting wedding goers, both those scowling and those enjoying the summer heat.

And Narcissa Peverell…

She was beauty personified, she was nothing short of regal. Her form-fitting dress, the updo of her hair, her tasteful makeup, and delicate jewellery marking her as higher class than anyone in attendance, except perhaps her husband.

And judging by the arctic coldness of her almost painfully beautiful face, James had no doubts she had heard Marge Dursley's last comment.

Teddy was holding onto his father's hand, his hair was formed into large curls and were a solid raven black like his father's, his eyes the same emerald green.

Ever quiet, he was the perfectly mannered child.

And by the outraged expressions on the Dursleys' faces, as they had turned at the hush in the crowd, they were taken quite off guard by the man their foster son had grown to become.

* * *

Harry was filled with a petty-vindictiveness at the expressions on his foster family's faces.

He knew exactly what he, his wife, and his child looked like. Harry had never given a damn about class, but it wasn't every day someone called him a chav and his wife a bint.

Harry could almost feel the wrath spilling of Narcissa in cold waves, and he was going to release her on them.

She didn't need magic to tear them into bloody little pieces.

"Marge, Mrs. and Mr. Dursley," Harry said smoothly, "may introduce my wife, Mrs. Narcissa Peverell and our son, Theodore Peverell. Narcissa, Teddy, this is my foster family."

The Dursleys eyes flicked between each other while the rest of their family, cousins, and friends waited like hyenas, scavengers ready for scraps.

It really was a hateful family who attracted negativity, and they all delighted in nothing more than petty one-upmanship. Marge's last remark had dug them in deep.

"It is a shame we weren't invited to your wedding," Mr. Dursley said, ever the tough guy, ever the bully.

The look he gave Narcissa made Harry want to strangle him.

Narcissa made a show of looking down her nose at the smaller man, "Our union was a private affair, we feared you would feel out of place on my parents' estate."

The contrast in their accents Harry saw set Mrs. Dursleys' teeth grinding.

Marge's face reddened, which did spectacularly nasty things to her green eyeshadow and magenta lipstick, "We're his only family, how emba-"

"Embarrassing," Harry finished for her, "no, Marge, there is no more embarrassing experience than the thought of you attending."

"Besides," Narcissa said coolly, "My husband's choice in friends far exceeds the government's choice in foster homes."

Mrs. Dursley snapped, "Why you rude, self-imp-"

"Daddy?" Teddy spoke up for the first time, "Can I sit with Lily?"

Marge's eyes went wide, "He knows the Evans family?"

Harry smiled, "I'm a professor at their school. And if Rose thinks it's alright, you may, Teddy."

He heard the whispers spread out from there, because being a professor at a private school was a respectable position.

Judging by Dursleys panicked expressions, they knew they had just driven themselves to an edge of a metaphorical cliff.

Rose opened her arms for the little boy and Teddy left them to sit between Rose and Lily, while Harry and Narcissa sat behind the Dursleys.

Soon after the music started playing.

And Harry had the delight of watching Vernon's groomsmen do a double-takes as they passed Harry and his wife.

Harry-Hunting had been a reality for both his pasts.

But it was Vernon's expression that took the cake.

He began his walk down the aisle, chest puffed forward, nearly marching to the platform of potted petunias.

But then he saw Harry, and then he saw Harry's wife; he stumbled forward tripping over his own feet, he had to catch himself on the steps.

People laughed, on both sides of the aisle.

Neither Harry nor Narcissa laughed, but they didn't need to look at each other to know they were both smirking at their enemies failure.

The resolve to crash this wedding settled between them unsaid and as strong as titanium.

* * *

Eirik Evans had lived through a lot, but this might have been one of the worst days of his life.

He knew his eldest daughter was bitterly jealous of her little sister, for more than just her magical gifts, but that that bitterness seemed to have corrupted her heart felt like a personal failure.

Where had he gone wrong as a father that his Petunia would choose to marry a man like Vernon Dursley?

Petunia should have been going to college, she was such an intelligent girl, she had a head for business and mathematics. She could have run the Dursley's business, but Eirik knew, just knew, that Vernon planned to make her either a housewife or a secretary.

Not that that was necessarily a bad thing, but if Petunia would just go to school, travel, find herself, she would see there was more to life than appearances.

She had fallen in love with the first man to give her shred of appreciation, and as Eirik walked his daughter down the aisle, he knew that this was his fault.

When he sat down beside Rose, he couldn't meet his wife's eyes, not even when she took his hand.

When the officiator asked, "Is there anyone who has any reason to protest this marriage, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Eirik closed his eyes and fought back tears, he had a million protests, but Petunia had told him again before the procession that this was her choice.

So he would hold his peace.

But apparently, he wasn't the only one with reservations to this union.

"I have many reasons," Harry Peverell said, standing up, "I have many, many reasons to protest this union."

Vernon growled at him, "Sit down."

"Wait," Harry said in a condescending tone, "I have not listed my reasons yet."

Eirik opened his eyes, blinking fast. Petunia looked incensed at this interruption, but all he felt was hope.

 _Come on, son, say something that stops this hell._

"Vernon is loud, he bellows, he shouts with his mouth full, and he snores like a trumpeting elephant."

Vernon's face began turning pink.

"Vernon also has a terrible sense of humour, he laughed himself sick at the idea of his older sister drowning a puppy because it had an underbite. Which is a rich reason to drown an innocent puppy when you take a look at her jaw set."

People on the Dursley side sniggered and Vernon's face turned red.

"That's awful!" Teddy exclaimed.

"I know son," Harry said continuing, "but Vernon Dursley is an awful person, selfish."

The groom's face turned purple.

"Glutinous."

Eirik began to worry the boy would faint as his cheeks puffed out.

"Stupid as a snail on asphalt, you should have seen his marks in school, it's a miracle he graduated. But then given how much he cheats-"

"YOU FREAKING WANKER! SHUT UP!"

"And he has a terrible temper," Harry concluded with a soft smile.

Eirik could have kissed him.

"Are you quite done?" the officiator asked, the groomsmen holding back laughter.

Petunia and her bridesmaids looked crushed.

Harry at Petunia, and said, "I grew up as that man's brother, and I'm telling you, Ms. Petunia Evans, that you are worth a dozen of him. You can do better, you deserve better."

"Sit down," she said, her voice trembling.

Eirik's heart broke, he knew that tone.

But he gave Harry a grateful look anyway.

Better to have tried and failed.

Harry nodded at him, his face was devoid of humour as he sat back down.

The two were presented as man and wife.

And Eirik could only hope that Lily would forge a better future for herself.

* * *

Narcissa had been curious about Harry's upbringing, and though she wanted a wedding herself, she decided that, while the Potters and the Evanses would be welcome, Harry's foster family, Petunia Dursley included, would be as unwanted as Walburga.

Narcissa knew how splendid she looked, and she understood why Harry had said she didn't need to dress up.

She was very nearly overdressed, despite the fact she was wearing a summer gown, and in muggle fashion no less. Some of her nightgowns were less revealing than this dress. And she knew her beauty would have made her stand out in this group.

Lily Evans was a beauty in her own right, but she was still young, as Rose Evans was a bit too old. But of their age group, none of the friends, relatives, bridesmaids, nor even the bride herself could hold a candle to Narcissa.

It both pleased her and left her unable to relax even with Harry at her side.

The bride had given her such a scornful look that she had given Narcissa the impression of a horse that had gotten something stuck on its upper lip.

She wanted to warn the girl if she kept making expressions like that the effect might be permanent.

Teddy played mostly with Lily and Rose who both adored him, Severus Snape and Jamie trailing after them. Narcissa was grateful when food was served.

She found herself ill-prepared for conversation. She didn't know much about muggle society or politics. And while she had plenty to say about their new home and her growing relationship with her step-son, those felt too personal to share with this group of people. So she stayed on Harry's arm like a decoration as he navigated the verbal arena and that might have done her family proud if they hadn't been so pathetically vulgar, with the majority of the Dursleys' associates being woefully uneducated.

And of course, her family would never have gotten on with a muggle family so… so… so muggle.

"I can't believe you said all of that," Severus said as he passed Harry a dish of mashed potatoes.

Harry shrugged, "It was my last shot. But if she has a whale for a son, she can't say I didn't warn her."

James sniggered and Lily looked at Harry sceptically.

Teddy was sitting on Rose's lap and asked, "Are Grandma Rose and Grandpa Eirik going to our house? They need to meet Regina."

Rose hugged Teddy, "I know we aren't really your grandparents, but-"

Eirik looked at Harry, "But after what you did today, son, you're family. You will always be welcome in our home."

Narcissa caught Harry's hand under the table, and he squeezed her hand back tightly.

Eirik and Rose weren't Teddy's grandparents, they were Harry's, and they were Teddy's great-grandparents.

"Thank you, I didn't intend to embarrass your daughter, Vernon is just…"

Eirik nodded, glaring up at the head table were his new son-in-law sat. "If I were still in the Navy…" he said darkly.

Rose touched his arm and Teddy said, "It's okay Grandpa Eirik, it's not your fault. Even bad people love people."

Narcissa felt her heart twist, she was so lucky, so very, very lucky to have such a family. Even if Harry's extended family never learned that's what they were.

Teddy's gentleness, his big heart, was a reflection of his father's, her husband's; her Harry's heart.

Dinner was over too soon. The dancing started, and it was a lovely space, pretty little lights decorating a net above the dancefloor.

But the dance music ceased to be dance music after the second song.

Perhaps the songs weren't awful, but while Narcissa might accept swing or even a step dance to folk music in place of a traditional waltz, she refused to sway or jump up and down to whatever atrocity blared through the speakers.

At home, with just Harry and Teddy, it might have been fun, but in public?

She watched from a table with Severus Snape as the others had their fun on the dance floor.

As the night wore on, Petunia was dancing with her sister, a real smile transforming her horse-ish expression into something sweet and pretty. At this time is when a slightly drunk Vernon Dursley sat beside her.

She held her ground, her eyes searching for Harry in the crowd, but she didn't spot either him or Teddy.

Restroom perhaps?

"Where's your husband? Are you here because that freak got you knocked up too?"

She narrowed her eyes on him, even drunk, he hadn't dared approach her when Harry was near.

"Do you even know what the first one's name was?" he slurred, then he whispered, "I bet he kept her parts for ingredients. He's twisted, you know?"

Why did everyone assume she was jealous of Naomi Lupin Peverell?

Harry was a widower, but he was also twenty-two. What did she have to be jealous of? That they had had a child together? Teddy was a gift to this world, Narcissa couldn't dislike the woman for delivering him.

Or did people think that Narcissa could never be loved the same as Harry's first wife?

Narcissa might be young herself, but she knew enough to know every relationship was different. She was not the same person as Naomi and she did not expect to be loved in the same way.

"Did you hear me, bitch?"

Narcissa stood, and the fool grabbed her wrist.

His skin was clammy and she could smell the foulness of his breath as he said, "You aren't going nowhere."

In her periphery, she saw a white gown approaching them.

"Let go," Narcissa said in her clearest tone.

"You're so expensive," Vernon leered, looking her up and down slowly.

It made her skin crawl, she eyed the table for something she could use against him, too many people were watching to use magic.

"How much did that freak pay you for this evening? I'll double it," he said, pulling her forward.

She heard someone gasp, but Narcissa didn't pause as she let the muggle's pull propel her toward the table as opposed to his lap. She grabbed a serving knife off the table and slammed the blade down through his other hand that was holding onto the table for support.

Fun thing about human physiology, it wasn't that difficult to break the skin, muscle, and tissues. If someone was willing to cause significant, gory damage, they could, and Narcissa did.

The knife's point pierced the wood on the other side of the man's palm.

Vernon Dursley screamed like a rabbit as he pulled back, letting go of her hand. Then he roared, pulling the knife out, and his other hand came around in a fist toward her.

The split second she had to bring her arms up she froze, but it didn't matter, because Harry was there.

And not only was Harry a taller man, he was sober. Harry's fist caught Vernon's cheek, sending the leecher crashing back into the table.

His wedding tuxedo a ruin of blood, drink, broken glass, and cake crumbs.

Harry had her in his arms, leading her back as he checked her for wounds.

He pulled the kerchief out of his pocket to whip the blood drops from her hand. "Your dress is fine, are you?" he asked, his tone light, his gaze murderous.

She nodded, "Yes, I'm alright."

Vernon was struggling out from the table, his hand gushing blood as he rolled to his knees.

No one helped him stand, "I was attacked! Call the police!"

"I called an ambulance for your hand," his best man said, looking pale.

"It was her, that craz-"

"You propositioned her."

Everyone went quiet, stepping back from the bride.

There were no tears on her voice or in her tone, but there was a profound sorrow in her eyes, one that Narcissa recognized all too well when Lucius had turned on her.

"Petunia, I wouldn't she's a-"

"I heard you!" Petunia shouted, "I saw you grab her! The way you looked at her, you, you… you _Bastard!"_

Something like fear passed over Vernon's face, "Petunia no, this is our wedding I…" He tried to stand but ended up falling back on his butt, either he was that drunk or he was losing too much blood.

"Fool shouldn't have pulled the knife out," she murmured to Harry.

His response was to hug her.

"Petunia- I-" Vernon looked like he was trying.

Narcissa had no a bit of pity for him.

She saw Eirik's expression, and she was pretty sure if your father-in-law looked nearly relieved to see you bleeding to death, you were never going to have a cordial future.

"I want a divorce," she said.

"It's our wedding d-"

"Oh praise God!" Eirik said audibly as Lily let out a whoop of joy.

"No!" Vernon cried.

The officiator of their wedding pushed his way through the crowd, "You don't need a divorce."

"Excuse me?" Petunia asked him flatly.

The man blushed, "I am- was one of Vernon's friends, but I don't actually- I'm not licenced, you would have had to go to a courthouse to get the paperwork signed for it to be an official marriage."

The look she gave him made him take several steps back, "No divorce papers, right? That's a good thing, right?"

Marge pushed through the crowd, and pointed dramatically at Harry, "This is his doing. He cursed us!"

She was as drunk as Vernon, swaying on her feet.

Narcissa smiled at her, "No, my husband didn't curse you people, Harry is the only one among you who turned out to be a decent human being."

And it was like all hell broke loose after that.

There was screaming, vulgar cussing, the children were all taken away, Teddy had luckily already been put down for sleep that night in Evans's guest room. There weren't that many other little ones in the group, and no one but Marge wanted to stay.

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley went to the hospital with their son, while Marge screamed at Petunia that she had to marry her brother.

Eirik Evans firmly, but not roughly, manoeuvred the creature out of the house before slamming the door in her face.

After which the entire house fell completely still, at which point Petunia broke down sobbing. Lily rushed to her sister's side.

"Don't worry, Tuni, we have cake!"

This caused the girl to cry harder.

"Do you need help getting home, James?" Harry asked.

Wide-eyed James shook his head, "I was supposed to stay until morning…"

Rose came in with leftover cake smiling like a madwoman, "Stay! Stay! Sev, feel free to call your mom to stay longer. We have some celebrating to do."

Petunia hiccuped, "Celebrate? I just broke up with my husband."

Eirik pulled his daughter up as Rose said, "Come now, Petunia, you didn't lose anything."

"Just my heart," she said miserably.

"Better than your dignity," Narcissa told her.

Petunia glared at Narcissa, but she dug into the piece of cake her little sister placed before her.

Narcissa thought the girl would come out stronger for this. Narcissa looked up and saw a peculiar expression on Harry's face as he watched the Evans, Severus, and James seat themselves around the dining room table with slices of leftover wedding cake.

"Harry," she asked, "are you alright?"

He turned to her with a smile, the light in his eyes dancing, "I am, I just… Do you ever get those moments where you're just so incredibly grateful for being alive, for being a part of the lives of the people around you?"

She smiled back up at him, "I do."

* * *

AN: Reactions, thoughts, ideas, or boop noodles? Pretty please?


End file.
